Chu Sheng stood beside Xue Jiao, staring with slight surprise at Yi Tianyu who had walked in front of them.

Was this… a confession?

Xue Jiao also looked back at him with confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yi Tianyu’s gaze was focused, staring intently at Xue Jiao. His mouth opened slightly, his voice hoarse—

“Jiaojiao.”

Xue Jiao’s heart skipped a beat.

“I…” Yi Tianyu opened his mouth, uttering a single word.

He was somewhat embarrassed. Yes, he wanted to say—I like you.

Just now when Teacher Zheng had asked them to look at the starry sky, he was thinking about what he was doing and why he was doing it.

He was working hard, for himself.

But when he saw the stars filling the sky, his mind was filled only with Jiaojiao, his deskmate, the bookworm.

His head was full of images of her serious face, her gentle smile with lowered brows, the look of hope in her eyes…

He liked her very much and wanted to remain her deskmate forever.

But when he saw Xue Jiao’s eyes, he couldn’t say anything.

The bookworm loved studying so much; she definitely wouldn’t accept puppy love, would she? If he expressed his feelings… would she distance herself from him? Look down on him.

More importantly… he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Yi tianyu’s thoughts went around in circles, and in the end, he only stammered—

“Jiaojiao, thank you.”

Chu Sheng: “…”

He didn’t spend much time online, but he had heard some internet slang from his classmates.

At this moment, Chu Sheng remembered a phrase—You took off your pants just to show me this???

Xue Jiao, however, was slightly stunned. After a moment, she asked, “Thank me for what?”

Yi Tianyu’s gaze became serious as he took a deep breath: “Bookworm, thank you for guiding me in my studies, thank you for encouraging me to join the basketball competition. I love basketball; it’s the one thing I can never give up in my life.”

When you like an excellent person, you gradually become excellent yourself.

Xue Jiao immediately scratched her head in embarrassment and said, “That… was your effort…”

Chu Sheng, however, was surprised: “You won’t take over your father’s business in the future?”

Yi Tianyu nodded, then looked up at the starry sky again: “Since I was little, the old man at home said the company would be mine in the future. He wanted me to study to learn more things, to temper my character, and to experience a different path in life. I used to think I only liked to play, but just now, thinking about what I want to do in the future, I believe spending my life with basketball would make me much happier than inheriting my father’s company.”

He wasn’t suited for business; his personality wasn’t compatible with the superficiality of the business world.

“Will your father beat you?”

“No,” Yi Tianyu smiled. “He’s still able to work, and he’ll agree to let me venture out. If I succeed, he’ll support me; if I fail… I’ll go back home and inherit the family business.”

“You’re asking for a beating with that attitude,” Xue Jiao rolled her eyes.

Yi Tianyu looked at her, pretending to joke, but his eyes showed slight seriousness—

“Then I’ll give you all my family assets, is that okay?”

Xue Jiao looked up at him, meeting a pair of sincere, serious eyes.

These eyes seemed as if they would swallow Xue Jiao whole.

She was slightly stunned and hurriedly shifted her gaze. “I don’t know how to do business. What would I do with your family assets?”

“What do you want to do in the future?” Chu Sheng tilted his head.

Xue Jiao was silent for a few seconds before firmly saying, “Study mathematics, research mathematics.”

Chu Sheng suddenly smiled, his eyes also shining: “I want to study physics, research physics.”

She turned her head and met Chu Sheng’s gaze, both very serious.

Xue Jiao smiled brightly and extended her hand, palm down.

“Let’s work hard together! Future basketball star, future physicist.”

Yi Tianyu paused for a moment, then grinned broadly and placed his large palm on top of hers.

“Future mathematician, future physicist, let’s go for it!”

Chu Sheng followed, placing his hand on top.

“Future basketball star, future mathematician, let’s go for it!”

The three shouted in unison: “Go for it—”

This was the wish made by these three young people under the starry sky. The future held unknown success or failure.

But youth is full of anticipation.

From this moment on, they set sail for distant shores.

——

Senior year began on August 20th, ten days earlier than the first and second years of high school.

Class One had some changes, yet some things remained the same.

Some students whose grades had slipped left, while others seemed to have had breakthroughs and surged to the front ranks.

In the final exam of last semester, Xue Jiao again ranked first, with Chu Sheng only two points behind her.

Every time, for just these one or two points, Teacher Yin Fang would be haughty, and Teacher Li Ping would sigh.

“Wang Mingyu is a good student. Last semester he was still a bit playful, but this semester he’s become serious and jumped straight to twelfth in the grade. He’s promising material,” Li Ping nodded as he looked at the list.

Teacher Yin Fang’s seat was still opposite his. Their private relationship was still good, but when it came to work, they were adversaries.

Hearing that someone in the other class had suddenly shown promise, Yin Fang quickly continued looking at her list.

“Li Pu is also good. He was originally from Class Nine and reportedly always occupied the first position there. Last semester he was already in the top fifty of the grade. He was dead set against coming to the experimental class, but fortunately, he came this semester. He’s twenty-first in the grade, which is quite good.”

“Our class…”

Chinese teacher Yuan put down his lesson preparation pen and said helplessly, “What’s the use of you two competing so fiercely now? Don’t we ultimately look at the college entrance exam results?”

Li Ping: “…”

Yin Fang: “…”

Teacher Yuan continued, “Who will be the student representative for the oath-taking ceremony?”

Yin Fang immediately raised her chin and glanced at Li Ping. “It’s Gu Xue Jiao from our class.”

“She was first last semester and also won first prize in the mathematics competition. She’s certainly qualified,” Teacher Yuan nodded.

Yin Fang suddenly thought of something and turned to Teacher Yuan seriously: “Teacher Yuan, could you help look over Gu Xue Jiao’s speech? She represents the face of our entire senior class. She should deliver it without a script.”

“Without a script?!” Li Ping raised his voice.

Yin Fang glared at him. “Is that a problem? With her abilities, why can’t she speak without a script?”

“No, speaking without a script requires the student not to be stage-frightened and also wastes a lot of time memorizing the script. Senior year—every minute and second counts!” Li Ping slammed the table.

Yin Fang jumped in fright, clutching her chest.

But thinking about it, she realized he had a point. Chu Sheng and Xue Jiao were only separated by one or two points, and the first diagnostic test was coming up. What if Chu Sheng surpassed her because Xue Jiao wasted ten days?

She turned to look at Teacher Yuan again: “Old Yuan, why don’t you write a script for her and just give it to her to read on stage?”

Teacher Yuan: “…”

After a while, Teacher Yuan choked out: “This is a student representative speech, not a teacher’s speech… You should at least let her express the students’ voice, right?”

Yin Fang furrowed her brows, feeling that Teacher Yuan made a good point, and immediately felt more headache.

She looked at Li Ping: “Why not let Chu Sheng from your class speak?”

Li Ping didn’t even look up: “He won’t go.”

Yin Fang: “…”

——

In the end, it was still decided that Xue Jiao would speak. The oath-taking ceremony was scheduled for September 1st, which was also the official start of school for first and second-year high school students.

“Jiaojiao, hurry up—” Li Sitong called from downstairs.

Xue Jiao walked down with her backpack. Cheng Shuo had already stood up and straightened his collar.

“Are you all going?” she asked, slightly puzzled.

“Of course. We all attended your brother’s oath-taking ceremony last year,” Cheng Shuo replied.

Xue Jiao looked outside at the blazing sun and said, “Today… it’s quite hot.”

“It’s fine,” Cheng Shuo said dismissively. “Your mom and I have both applied sunscreen.”

Xue Jiao: “…”

Parents generally valued their children’s academic performance highly. Almost every student’s parents attended.

The school had anticipated this situation, and the entire oath-taking ceremony was held on the playground.

Parents sat on the bleachers on both sides, while the main stage was occupied by school leaders and several education department officials.

Students were to march in formation by class. Xue Jiao was the standard bearer for Class One. She arrived a bit late; the boarding students were already practicing under Yin Fang’s scolding.

Xue Jiao quickened her pace and walked over. “Teacher, I’m sorry I’m late.”

She reached out to take the banner that Yi Tianyu handed to her.

As soon as Yin Fang saw her, her previously stern face immediately broke into a smile: “It’s alright, it’s alright. Quickly get in line. Is the banner heavy? Can you carry it?”

“It’s not heavy, I can carry it. Thank you for your concern, Teacher.”

“Have you prepared your speech? You’re up right after the teacher’s speech.”

“I’m prepared,” Xue Jiao obediently replied.

A few boys standing in the back row started chatting as they watched the front—

“Hey, this Iron Maiden melts like an iceberg when she sees Gu Xue Jiao.”

“If you consistently ranked first in the grade, scoring over 700, I guarantee the Iron Maiden would look at you the same way.”

“I just feel like the Iron Maiden likes Gu Xue Jiao too much. The other subject teachers are the same.”

“Don’t you like Gu Xue Jiao?” someone countered.

“What are you talking about? What are you saying?! Everyone be quiet!!” Yi Tianyu shouted at them.

The boys immediately went silent.

One boy who had a good relationship with Yi Tianyu raised his eyebrow and said, “Brother Yu is jealous.”

“Hahaha—” Laughter erupted.

“What nonsense! Gu Xue Jiao and I have a pure deskmate relationship!” Yi Tianyu glared.

The boy rolled his eyes: “Give me a break. You two aren’t even deskmates anymore. Her deskmate is Liu Jiaxue now.”

“Hahaha!” The others laughed. “When the seats were first assigned, Brother Yu was so angry he almost flipped the classroom.”

Yi Tianyu: “…”

Yes, they had been assigned new seats. They got new seat assignments right at the beginning of the semester. Girls had to sit with girls, so Xue Jiao was seated next to Liu Jiaxue.

Yi Tianyu’s seat at that time was miles away from hers. He was indignant and argued with Yin Fang.

In the end, Yin Fang, with a headache, let him sit behind Xue Jiao, which somewhat appeased him.

“All of you shut up!” Yi Tianyu was furious with embarrassment.

The boys shrugged.

It was normal for boys to be dissatisfied with each other. Yi Tianyu was popular and was the captain of the school basketball team, as well as excellent in other aspects.

Many boys didn’t dare to oppose him, but quite a few were privately dissatisfied with him.

Yi Tianyu returned to the last row. The two boys he had just scolded muttered a few words, keeping their voices extremely low—

“What’s so great about him? Hmph!”

“Yeah, who does he think he is?”

“He keeps Gu Xue Jiao all to himself, but it’s not like Gu Xue Jiao would necessarily like him!”

After a couple of comments, they stopped talking. One of them had wanted to sit beside Xue Jiao last semester but was glared away by Yi Tianyu.

Yi Tianyu was unaware of others’ dissatisfaction with him. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.

His gaze remained fixed on the girl in front. Dressed in an ordinary school uniform, just her back view made his heart race.

Hmm—how could someone be so appealing to him?

——

At nine o’clock, the oath-taking ceremony officially began.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” Cheng Shuo was looking up, searching for Xue Jiao in the crowd when he heard a voice beside him.

He turned around to see a woman wearing heavy makeup, dressed very… coolly.

The woman wore sunglasses and was accompanied by a timid-looking man.

Cheng Shuo told the truth: “No one is sitting here.”

The woman tilted her head up and sat down.

Her skirt was very short, and when she sat down, it appeared even shorter.

Li Sitong pinched Cheng Shuo and glared at him: “What are you looking at!”

Cheng Shuo shrugged helplessly. He wasn’t looking at this woman; he just found it strange that on a day like this, this person would dress like this to attend.

The woman saw Li Sitong’s actions and haughtily snorted, raising her chin even higher.

Li Sitong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

How could there be such people in this world???

Beside her was Mrs. Qin, who pulled at her and lowered her voice: “Ignore her. Arguing with someone like that is a complete waste of time.”

Li Sitong took a deep breath. Thinking about it, she agreed and focused on watching the ceremony with Cheng Shuo.

The first to speak at the oath-taking ceremony was the principal, followed by several attending officials.

After these dry speeches ended, it was time for the senior class to march in formation.

“Here they come, here they come!!” Li Sitong’s voice was excited.

The senior class marched in formation, starting with the first class. The first one… was Xue Jiao’s class!

Cheng Shuo was also excited, stretching his neck to look down expectantly.

“Chu Sheng! Chu Sheng!” Li Sitong excitedly gripped Mrs. Qin’s hand. Class One’s formation was led by Xue Jiao, and Class Two’s by Chu Sheng!

Mrs. Qin was also excited. Each bit of glory from their children, in the parents’ eyes, was a source of immense joy.

The woman beside them rolled her eyes, thinking these people were making a fuss over nothing.

She turned and opened her mouth: “You—”

Her voice paused slightly. She had been wearing sunglasses and hadn’t looked carefully.

Now, looking at Li Sitong, she was startled to see her wearing a new designer outfit, with a new designer bag.

She frowned slightly, raised an eyebrow, and then looked at Mrs. Qin beside Li Sitong, who was dressed much more low-key but had an extraordinary aura that made her feel quite imposing.

Hmm? The woman was puzzled.

Soon, the formations finished marching, and it was time for the senior student representative to speak.

“Next, let’s welcome senior student representative Gu Xue Jiao to speak on behalf of the senior students!”

Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong immediately applauded vigorously, looking proud.

“Jiaojiao looks very pretty!” Mrs. Qin said with a smile.

Li Sitong turned her head and teased, “Isn’t your Chu Sheng excellent too?”

“He’s not as likable as your Jiaojiao!” Mrs. Qin replied.

“I’ll take him if you don’t want him,” Li Sitong glared.

“Then give Jiaojiao to me, let’s trade!” Mrs. Qin laughed.

Before Li Sitong could respond, Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but speak up: “We already have a son in our family, no need to trade for a daughter…”

“Look, look, you’ve made old Cheng anxious! Hahaha,” Mrs. Qin laughed even more joyfully.

At this moment, Jiaojiao began to speak—

“Respected teachers, guests, and fellow students, hello! I am the student representative, Gu Xue Jiao from Senior Class One.”

The woman beside Cheng Shuo suddenly paused. She had just heard that the couple beside her were the parents of the girl on stage, and the other couple were Chu Sheng’s parents.

So this young girl was Gu Xue Jiao!

She hadn’t attended any parent-teacher meetings before but had seen the report card her child’s father brought back.

First place: Gu Xue Jiao, second place: Chu Sheng—scores that were hopelessly out of reach.

The woman’s expression changed slightly. She wanted to say something, but seeing that they were intently listening to the speech, she held back.

On stage, Xue Jiao was slightly nervous but quickly adjusted her emotions and continued reciting her speech.

This speech was reviewed by Teacher Yin Fang and Teacher Yuan. The beginning thanked the school and the officials, then thanked the teachers, and finally promised that they would all work hard.

She recited it in one breath, her gaze sweeping across the students watching her below and the parents sitting attentively on both sides.

The college entrance exam was a major event for many people and many families.

When she finished reciting, Yin Fang smiled and raised her hand, ready to start applauding.

Xue Jiao took a deep breath—

“My brother once told me that senior year is exhausting for everyone. Teachers are tired, parents are tired, and students are even more tired.”

Yin Fang’s smile froze on her face.

Was this in the script?!

What was Gu Xue Jiao doing?!

“But despite this exhaustion, we still have to grit our teeth and get through it. We’ve been in classrooms for over a decade. The college entrance exam is a one-shot deal. They’ll interview the top scorers, the students who get into top universities, and the teachers with the highest pass rates.”

She looked at the students raising their heads below—

“But who interviews us about our efforts? How much sweat have we shed? How many test papers have we completed?”

Xue Jiao’s eyes filled with tears: “There’s no luck in the college entrance exam. If your effort isn’t enough, you’re the one who gets eliminated. If you don’t want to have regrets many years later, you must work hard this year. We’re fortunate to still have one year. Even if we’re starting over, as long as we work hard enough, we can achieve a satisfactory outcome. Right now, we’re at the point that last year’s seniors who didn’t do well in the exam most wish they could return to!”

“Everyone, close your eyes and imagine a year from now. We didn’t get into college, or we’re holding an unsatisfactory admission letter to an unsatisfactory school.”

Her eyes were closed, and the students below couldn’t help but close theirs too, imagining that scene.

Almost everyone furrowed their brows.

“People often ask me why my grades are so good. Why can I solve this problem? Why can I solve that problem? I want to say—because I’m working hard. We still have time. We’re currently at the day that post-exam students most wish they could return to.”

Xue Jiao opened her eyes, holding back tears.

She was so lucky to have been given the chance to start over.

But how many people get the chance to start over?

“Fellow students, today is a new starting point for us. It’s the beginning of our fight for the future. Our hard work is to rewrite our lives! Right now, as long as we work hard, there’s still time. Senior year is bitter, but we absolutely cannot endure this bitterness in vain!”

In this life, even if Gu Xue Jiao’s grades weren’t good, Cheng Shuo could still send her abroad to study.

But in her previous life, the college entrance exam was Xue Jiao’s chance to rise from the bottom.

For most ordinary people and ordinary families, the college entrance exam is equivalent to rewriting destiny.

Her voice rose slightly—

“I wish for my fellow students that their sweat turns into scores, their hard work into harvest. May you advance against the wind and achieve top honors!”

Xue Jiao moved to the side and bowed deeply.

“Thank you all. My speech is now concluded.”

“Clap clap clap clap clap—” Thunderous applause erupted.

Many students had reddened eyes and applauded vigorously, filled with fighting spirit.

Yin Fang’s unpleasant expression gradually warmed up, and she continued her previous action of applauding.

In the distance, under an inconspicuous tree.

Lin Zhihua smiled lightly and shook his head: “This girl…”

“Boss,” Chen Yan respectfully approached.

Lin Zhihua turned: “Time’s almost up?”

Chen Yan nodded: “The flight to Beijing leaves in an hour and a half. It will take us forty minutes to get there.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Lin Zhihua said softly.

He took a deep look at the girl who was stepping down from the stage, his eyes filled with a smile.

He turned and walked away with large strides.

——

Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong couldn’t help but stand up, applauding hard with satisfaction!

“Jiaojiao! Well done!”

“Now I want to trade children with you again,” Mrs. Qin said with a smile, her eyes envious.

Perhaps many parents without daughters yearn for a sweet, loving daughter.

Li Sitong glared at her: “No more trades, no more.”

Cheng Shuo’s neighbor couldn’t hold back anymore. She turned to Cheng Shuo with a smile: “Hello, brother. Your daughter is Gu Xue Jiao, right? My daughter is Liu Jiaxue, she’s…”

“The teacher has started speaking. Old Cheng, listen carefully,” Li Sitong looked over with a smile.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Cheng Shuo looked up at the main stage. He wasn’t particularly interested in talking to that woman anyway.

But… her daughter was Xue Jiao’s classmate?

The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then she glared, muttering—

“I’m not trying to steal your man. Why are you looking at me so harshly?”

The timid man beside the woman pulled at her: “Stop talking…”

“I know, I know!” The woman shot him an impatient glare.

The teachers had also selected one representative from each subject, mostly from Classes One and Two.

They spoke about the senior year arrangements and plans, what the teachers would do, and how parents should cooperate.

Even though they had taught batch after batch of students, they were still very serious about the current group.

By the time the entire oath-taking ceremony ended, it was already noon.

Parents swarmed towards the teachers. Cheng Shuo and Chu Sheng’s father, with their respective wives, slowly walked towards Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng.

The woman also wanted to go to Teacher Yin Fang, but halfway there, she encountered a teacher surrounded by several parents.

Her eyes lit up, and she pulled the teacher out of the crowd.

“Brother-in-law, you teach biology to Classes One and Two. What’s the background of those two? Those two women, the way they act!” She removed her sunglasses, pointing at the two couples and scoffing.

“Sis, who are you talking about?” The teacher looked confused. There were parents everywhere; he genuinely didn’t know who the woman was pointing at.

“The parents of Gu Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng.”

“Oh my goodness, my dear sister, what did you do to offend them?” the teacher asked.

“How is it that I offended them? They’ve been provoking me the whole time!”

The biology teacher looked helplessly resigned and sighed: “Gu Xue Jiao’s father is the boss of Pengcheng, her brother is Cheng Mingze who was admitted to Tsinghua last year with a special recommendation, and Chu Sheng’s father is the head of the audit department…”

“What?!” The woman was so shocked that her sunglasses fell off.