Chapter 52

After the one-hundred-day oath-taking ceremony, time seemed to grow a tail and suddenly slipped away.

The senior high school students were trapped in square classrooms, and not a single person stepped outside even when the end-of-class bell rang. Teachers of all subjects pulled out their ultimate skills, bringing forth martial arts secrets they had cherished for years, as if determined to defeat that little monster known as the national college entrance examination.

In tests large and small, Chen Xi’s grades became increasingly stable, securing first place in the final two mock exams. Ever since the "kept woman" incident, her temperament had grown even more composed and quiet. Aside from necessary conversations, she hardly uttered a single word, burying her head in test papers the entire time. Sometimes, watching her plow through seven or eight practice tests every day and memorize English vocabulary in the restroom at three in the morning, Zhu Qing couldn't help but marvel at what a hardcore person she was. No wonder she could take first place.

Chen Xi held a breath deep in her chest. She wanted to test into a university in Beijing, she wanted to get into the law department at R University, and she wanted to see Zhou Yanzhou one more time. Relying on this sheer determination, Chen Xi weathered exam after exam until she finally stepped into the real examination hall.

During the three days of the college entrance examination, the entire Xiping grew quiet. The usually noisy streets had bans against honking horns, several entertainment venues around the People's Square temporarily suspended operations, and many warm-hearted members of the public contributed their efforts to support the examinees.

On the morning of the seventh, amidst her uncle's devout and gentle exhortations, Chen Xi clutched her pencil case and walked toward the examination hall with a resolute gaze.

The scorching sun blazed brightly during those days, as if even the heavens were happy for the students who had studied diligently through years of hardship.

When the final subject ended, Chen Xi stopped her pen and sat quietly on her stool, waiting patiently for the proctors to collect the test papers and answer sheets. As she walked out of the exam venue, she saw the school gates crowded with parents wearing traditional Chinese dresses and holding fresh flowers, alongside television reporters wielding long lenses and heavy artillery.

Chen Xi stood on the steps, clutching her pencil case, her almond-shaped eyes sweeping across the surging crowd to look straight at the sun overhead. The light was too strong, and she subconsciously squinted. When she opened her eyes again, her head felt somewhat dizzy.

Chen Xi did not contact anyone; she walked home alone against the blazing sun.

Her aunt had opened a teahouse some time ago and lately left early and returned late, spending most of her time there. When Chen Xi returned, the house was completely empty. She pushed open the courtyard gate, slowly walked upstairs, and turned the bedroom knob to hide herself away in her room.

These past few months seemed to have sucked dry all her energy. Now that the exams were over, the tightly strung chord in her heart snapped as well, replaced by endless exhaustion.

Chen Xi tossed her pencil case onto the desk, didn't even take off her shoes, and collapsed diagonally across the bed, closing her eyes in tired relief to catch up on sleep. She hadn't slept well in a long time, nor had she felt this relaxed in ages.

Chen Xi slept until nine o'clock that night. When she opened her eyes, the room was pitch black, and she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. At first, Chen Xi thought she was still in the classroom, and it took her quite a while to remember that the college entrance examination was already over.

She let out a deep breath and crawled out of bed, but because she had maintained the same posture while sleeping for too long, her leg cramped, making her wince in pain. After a short while, she recovered and managed to turn on the light from memory.

The room suddenly brightened. Chen Xi looked around her small yet cozy bedroom, stood up, walked over to the wardrobe, opened one of the compartments, and rummaged through a pile of clothes to unearth a wooden box. She then retrieved the key from her desk, unlocked the lid, lifted it, and took out the cell phone inside.

Having gone unused for months, the phone's battery was long dead. Chen Xi plugged it in to charge and sat at the head of the bed, quietly waiting for it to power on.

Faint noises drifted up from downstairs. Chen Xi glanced at the charging phone, stood up, pulled open the door, and walked downstairs. Seeing her uncle carrying her fast-asleep little cousin upstairs, Chen Xi stopped at the landing without moving.

Seeing Chen Xi, Xu Jingqian froze for two seconds and subconsciously said, "I thought you were still out and didn't come back. Weren't you going to go out and relax with your classmates after the exams?"

Chen Xi slowly raised her eyelids and shook her head with a smile, "I was a bit sleepy, so I came home and slept after the exams."

Noticing the heavy dark circles under Chen Xi's eyes, a trace of worry flashed across Xu Jingqian's face. "You've worked hard. Get some good rest for a while now that the exams are over."

"Right, I've contacted a driving school for you. Do you want to learn how to drive?"

Chen Xi paused for a moment, and figuring she had nothing better to do, she nodded in agreement.

Returning to her room, Chen Xi picked up her phone and turned it on. She dug up a phone number she hadn't contacted in months and dialed it with hesitation.

The ringing went all the way to the end without anyone answering. Chen Xi called four or five times in a row, with the exact same result.

She stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, opened the text message interface, and recklessly typed out a message: *Zhou Yanzhou, my college entrance exams are over. I've still decided to test for a school in Beijing. If I come to Beijing later, will you still see me?*

The message sent successfully, and Chen Xi felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

She waited for a long time without receiving a reply. Just when she thought Zhou Yanzhou wouldn't bother with her, the phone tossed on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.

Chen Xi bolted upright, knelt on the bed, grabbed the phone, and unlocked it impatiently.

An unread message sat in the inbox from a phone number with a Beijing IP address. The content read: *Congratulations. When you come to Beijing, I'll treat you to dinner.*

Chen Xi's heartbeat stopped abruptly, and a tingling sensation crawled from the soles of her feet across her entire body. Just as she was bubbling with joy, Zhou Yanzhou sent another text: *Bring your boyfriend along when the time comes.*

Chen Xi felt as though a basin of ice water had been poured down her back, making her shiver with cold. She stared at the text message for a long time, and finally, with a cruel slash at her heart, deleted the message.

On the third day after the college entrance examination, Zhu Qing called to ask if Chen Xi wanted to attend the class reunion, saying it might be the last time everyone in the class would be present. Chen Xi originally wanted to refuse, but worn down by Zhu Qing's persistent pleading, she finally agreed.

This gathering was organized privately by the classmates. The location was a small restaurant near the People's Square, and she heard that Class One of the science track had also booked a private room in this same establishment.

Free from the constraints of school rules and discipline, the classmates had just been released from the cage of the college entrance exams, and everyone acted like wild horses running loose without reins, having as much fun as they pleased.

Thinking of the warm weather, Chen Xi picked a polka-dot dress from her wardrobe to change into and braided her hair into pigtails. Before leaving, Chen Xi routinely reported to her uncle, who readily agreed and generously took a thousand yuan in cash from his wallet, handing it to her so she could enjoy herself without worry.

Chen Xi gratefully accepted the pocket money from her uncle, tucked all of it into her wallet, and walked out the front door with a relaxed expression.

Just as she arrived at the restaurant entrance, Chen Xi ran into Xie Wei. Seeing her, a trace of surprise flashed in Xie Wei's eyes, and in the next second, Xie Wei took the initiative to greet her.

"What a coincidence. I thought you wouldn't come."

Chen Xi smiled, her tone calm as she said, "We spent three years together after all; there's bound to be some attachment."

Xie Wei raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Let's go in."

Walking in together, they found that more than half of the classmates had already arrived in the private room. Chen Xi learned only then that this gathering was organized by the class monitor using the remaining class fund, so no additional pooling of money was required.

When the restaurant owner learned that they were all students who had just finished the college entrance examinations, he specifically instructed the manager to give them a twenty percent discount. Seeing this, several male classmates immediately stepped forward to praise the owner as a great guy.

Chen Xi was pulled over by Zhu Qing to sit beside her, forced to endure some heavy salesmanship: "I heard the beef tendon soup at this restaurant is amazing. You must try some later."

They didn't chat about exam scores, nor did they discuss college application preferences; they simply chattered endlessly about high school life and the upcoming summer vacation. Zhu Qing said she wanted to travel to Inner Mongolia and asked if Chen Xi wanted to come along. Chen Xi shook her head in refusal, saying she was going to learn how to drive this summer vacation.

Zhu Qing was dumbfounded and couldn't help muttering, "You're learning to drive so soon? Learning to drive in the summer makes it super easy to get a tan, hey. I plan on learning in the winter. But you're so fair, you probably won't tan."

Chen Xi smiled helplessly, saying this was her uncle's arrangement.

Toward the end of the meal, a girl suddenly stood up, held up a glass of cola, and apologized to Chen Xi, "Chen Xi, I'm sorry about what happened on the forum before."

As soon as the girl spoke, several other girls who had spread rumors also stood up one after another to apologize to Chen Xi.

The private room suddenly grew quiet. Chen Xi looked at the standing group, at a loss for how to handle the situation. She stood up alongside them, her gaze sweeping over each of them before she smiled and shook her head, "It's fine, it's all in the past."

Though she said that, whether it was truly in the past or not was something only she knew.

Seeing this, the boys immediately stepped in to mediate, and the atmosphere instantly livened up again. Only Zhu Qing and Xie Wei sat quietly in their seats, watching all of this with cold detachment.

When the dinner ended, the classmates dispersed noisily. Zhu Qing suggested going to a karaoke lounge to sing, and after a brief consultation among several students, they decided to keep the party going for another round. Chen Xi was roped into it as well.

Having drunk a little alcohol during dinner, Chen Xi felt a bit dizzy now, but she couldn't withstand Zhu Qing's relentless badgering and had no choice but to agree.

On the way to the KTV, Xie Wei walked by Chen Xi's side and abruptly spoke up, "Nobody asked you to forgive them. They apologized because their consciences were bothering them, not because you did anything wrong."

A sour sensation pricked the bridge of Chen Xi's nose. She turned her face and gave Xie Wei a deep look, a genuine smile blooming on her face, "Thank you."

Xie Wei shrugged, indicating it was no big deal.

The KTV was right downstairs from the restaurant, not far to walk. As they crossed the street, Xie Wei turned her head and asked Chen Xi, "Where are you planning to test for?"

Chen Xi thought for a moment, discarded some thoughts she shouldn't be having, and replied earnestly, "Beijing. And you?"

Xie Wei had long since decided where she was going, so she answered without even thinking, "Same as you. I want to study finance."

"My dad is getting transferred back to Beijing soon. After all, he's President Zhou's driver, so he still has to follow President Zhou."

Hearing the two words "President Zhou," Chen Xi's expression visibly froze for two full seconds.

After walking a short distance, Xie Wei suddenly spoke again, "After that incident, my dad drove for that President Zhou a few times, but most of the time it was President Zhou's secretary."

"The time you were wrongfully accused, President Zhou was actually in Xiping. My dad said President Zhou looked utterly foul-tempered at the time, making a bunch of phone calls to the director of the Education Bureau right from the car, and getting so angry he even cursed out loud several times."

"Though I'm not clear on what exact relationship you two have, I don't think that President Zhou is as ruthless as the rumors make him out to be."

At this, Xie Wei paused, looking hesitant as she added, "Still, you two really aren't from the same world."

"If you fall for someone like that, you're bound to get hurt."

Chen Xi wore a dazed expression. Clenching her clothes, she asked in disbelief, "The director of the Education Bureau was invited by Zhou Yanzhou?"

Xie Wei shrugged and said no more.

Inside the KTV, Chen Xi sat absent-mindedly on the sofa, mulling over what Xie Wei had said.

Seeing Chen Xi feeling down, Zhu Qing ordered Jay Chou's "Rice Field" for her. Chen Xi was dazed as she was pushed onto the stage and dazed as she took the microphone. By the time she snapped back to her senses, the prelude was already over, and she had no choice but to sing along with the accompaniment.

He Xu pushed open the private room door and squeezed inside, arriving just in time to hear Chen Xi singing, *"Smile a little, achieving success and fame isn't the purpose... making yourself happy, that is what's called meaning."*

He Xu didn't disturb Chen Xi; he stood quietly by the door, gazing at her with a devout expression.

Chen Xi's voice was very soft, and hearing her sing gave people a sense of deep peace.

When the song ended, Chen Xi hurriedly put down the microphone, unwilling to sing anymore.

At that moment, someone noticed He Xu and asked with a smile, "Why has our top student and class monitor He come over?"

Hearing the commotion, Chen Xi instinctively looked over. He Xu smiled at the boy who had spoken and then let his gaze land on Chen Xi's face.

Nervously licking his lips, he acted calm in front of his classmates and asked, "Chen Xi, I have something to say to you. Can you come outside with me for a moment?"

The private room instantly erupted into a buzz. Spectating eyes fell upon the two of them, and a bold classmate laughed and joked, "He Xu, you're not going to confess, are you? Isn't your class's private room diagonally across the hall? Did you do this on purpose?"

Standing at the door, He Xu ignored the others, focusing wholeheartedly on Chen Xi.

Seeing this and not wanting to be the subject of gossip, Chen Xi took the initiative to walk out of the private room.

The two walked over to a quiet corner. Standing at the stairwell, Chen Xi looked at He Xu with a calm gaze, "He Xu, is something the matter?"

Looking at the uncharacteristically calm Chen Xi before him, He Xu suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He rubbed his fingers, lowered his eyelids, and after a long moment, looked up, gathering his courage to speak, "Chen Xi, I like you."

Chen Xi's heart skipped a beat. Although she had some inkling of it back in the private room, now that it had actually come to this, she was still somewhat flustered and at a loss.

She grew nervous as well. Biting her lip, she asked in perplexity, "What do you like about me?"

He Xu took a deep breath, rapidly organizing his language: "I like that you're gentle, hardworking, resilient, and have goals..."

"At the opening ceremony in our first year of high school, when you went on stage to give a speech, I noticed you. Later, when we revised drafts together and participated in competitions, my understanding of you grew bit by bit, and I was gradually drawn to you."

"Chen Xi, I genuinely like you. I hope we can go to Beijing together, chase our dreams together, work hard together, and do many things together."

Chen Xi's mind was a mess. This was the first time she had ever been confessed to so formally, and she had no idea what to do.

Clenching her palms and biting her lip, she looked at He Xu's sincere face and shook her head apologetically, "He Xu, I'm sorry, I don't like you."

A trace of heartbreak appeared on He Xu's face. In the next second, he forced a smile and said, "It's fine. I only expressed my feelings; you have the right to refuse me."

Chen Xi felt even more awkward. She touched the back of her neck, took a breath, and said with an earnest expression, "You're a really great person, but... I truly can't give you the answer you want."

"Can we be friends?"

Seeing how troubled Chen Xi looked, He Xu put on a composed nod, "Sure. We'll be friends from now on."

Zhou Yanzhou had no intention of eavesdropping on a confession, but he hadn't expected that upon returning to Xiping after half a year away, he would run right into a scene where Chen Xi was having someone confess to her.

He had simply come out to smoke a cigarette and get some fresh air. Just as he was about to leave, two people suddenly popped out, leaving him with no choice but to stay put and wait for them to leave before heading out. Besides, he didn't want to go back to the private room and face those a**holes anyway.

These past few months, the old man had been gravely ill. With the headquarters in Beijing lacking someone at the helm, the suppressed fires beneath the surface couldn't be held down, and a multitude of drawbacks and problems suddenly surfaced, acting just like a paralyzed railway line.

Zhou Yanzhou had run his legs off, begging every deity and pleading with every Buddha every single day, coming this close to kneeling before people. Guan Yue's father hadn't spared any effort in throwing obstacles in his way regarding Guan Yue's affairs. Seeing that things were spinning out of control, Zhou Yanzhou had no choice but to follow Teacher Meng's advice and cooperate with President Zhang of Wanjia Technology, only he hadn't expected that this President Zhang wanted to marry his daughter off to him.

Zhou Yanzhou wasn't stupid enough to sacrifice his future for a company, but with the old man still lying in the hospital, he had no choice but to steady President Zhang for the time being.

Last month, Zhou Yanzhou had met with President Zhang's daughter, who had just returned from studying abroad. Neither of them was the other's cup of tea, yet neither could defy the will of the older generation, so the two privately decided to just play along for now.

Who would have guessed that President Zhang was a smooth operator? At last week's birthday banquet, he publicly introduced Zhou Yanzhou as his prospective son-in-law.

Zhou Yanzhou wore a smile on his face while cursing the old fox inwardly in his heart.

Having finally managed to squeeze out some time to make a trip to Xiping, who would have thought he'd bump into this spectacle?

Thinking of this, Zhou Yanzhou twitched the corner of his mouth and walked out of the stairwell without looking back.

Chen Xi was completely unaware of this. Heavy-hearted, she returned to the private room, brushed off Zhu Qing's probing questions, opened a bottle of beer, and sipped it all by herself.

At eleven o'clock at night, Chen Xi was tipsy from a few bottles of beer. Xie Wei and Zhu Qing, feeling uneasy, supported her on either side and got her out of the KTV.

The three of them stood by the roadside to flag down a cab. Chen Xi's head was spinning, her chest churned with nausea, and she gagged several times without actually throwing up.

Zhu Qing squatted down beside Chen Xi, gently patting her back while sighing, "Xixi, how is your alcohol tolerance this bad? You really shouldn't drink next time."

Chen Xi's face was flushed red, stars danced before her eyes, and she couldn't make out what Zhu Qing was saying at all.

Xie Wei had just flagged down a taxi and hadn't yet had time to speak to the driver when a Beijing-plated Mercedes slowly pulled up beside them.

Thinking it was her father, Xie Wei subconsciously called out, but when she looked up, she realized it wasn't him at all, but a face that was handsome beyond compare.

She awkwardly touched her face, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Ignoring Xie Wei, Zhou Yanzhou's gaze landed straight on Chen Xi, who was slumped over a stone bollard.

In the next second, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Amidst Zhu Qing's shock, he scooped up the rolling Chen Xi from the ground and tossed her into the passenger seat.

Seeing this, Zhu Qing wanted to stop him, but before she could move, Xie Wei grabbed her back.

Xie Wei gave a deep look at the car where Chen Xi was locked inside and whispered a soft explanation, "Chen Xi knows that guy. Don't worry about it."

Only then did Zhu Qing halt her movements. Her appraising gaze landed on Zhou Yanzhou, who walked around the front of the car, dove into the cabin, fastened his seatbelt with one hand, started the engine, and prepared to drive away.

After two seconds, upon seeing that handsome face clearly, Zhu Qing came to a sudden realization and said, "I think I've seen this handsome guy before! I ran into him with Xixi outside the school gates last time we went to buy notebooks! I never expected they actually knew each other!"

"Wait, why does this guy look a bit like that figure from the forum post back then..."

At some sudden realization, surprise flashed across Zhu Qing's face. Covering her mouth, she couldn't help speculating, "Could what that post said actually be true?"

Hearing this, Xie Wei gave Zhu Qing a resentful slap to cut off her wild imagination, "Chen Xi is not that kind of person, don't overthink it."

"Besides, someone like him wouldn't pick a high school student even if he were keeping a mistress."

The car didn't drive for long before turning into the underground parking garage of the Sail Hotel.

Chen Xi's head was spinning so badly that she could no longer tell east from west.

Watching her grip the seatbelt while alternately shouting that her head hurt, screaming that someone was a bastard, and grabbing the peace charm inside the car to declare she wanted to ride a swing... Zhou Yanzhou felt like his head was about to explode.

Seeing her roll down the window and poke more than half her head outside, Zhou Yanzhou feared an accident might happen. He slammed on the brakes, reached out, and yanked her back into the car.

Just as she finally quieted down, during the momentary pauses of starting and stopping the car, Chen Xi couldn't handle the motion and threw up right inside the vehicle.

The stench of alcohol and sour vomit permeated the entire cabin. Zhou Yanzhou's brow furrowed high. Disregarding the mess inside the car and fearing she would step in her own vomit, Zhou Yanzhou hastily unbuckled his seatbelt, strode around to the passenger side, pulled open the door, and hauled her right out.

Closing the car door, Zhou Yanzhou looked at the miserable-looking Chen Xi, wore a cold expression as he scooped her up into the elevator, and brought her up to a suite.

Just as he was about to leave, his hem was caught by Chen Xi.

Having vomited, Chen Xi seemed to have sobered up quite a bit. Opening her eyes to see Zhou Yanzhou sitting at the head of the bed, she dazedly crawled up and blurily cried out, "Zhou Yanzhou."

Lowering his gaze to glance at the hem of his shirt clutched in Chen Xi's grip, Zhou Yanzhou laughed bitterly and scolded, "Good grief, you went and drank yourself into this ghost state again, damn it."

With that, he stood up to leave, but was grabbed by the pre-prepared Chen Xi.

Zhou Yanzhou took a breath and said coldly, "Let go."

Chen Xi shook her head stubbornly, "I won't let go."

Unable to do anything with her, Zhou Yanzhou let her hold on.

Beer bloated the stomach, and after holding on for a while, Chen Xi felt an urgent pressure to use the restroom. Yet she was afraid to let go of Zhou Yanzhou, terrified this might all be a dream.

Sensing her distress, Zhou Yanzhou wore a foul expression as he said, "Go on then. Hurry up, I'm not leaving."

Hesitating for a long time, Chen Xi finally bolted into the bathroom. After finishing up and washing her face with cold water, she was completely sober.

Afraid that Zhou Yanzhou would leave, Chen Xi hurried back out, only to find him sitting in the lazy sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, crossing his legs and smoking a cigarette with casual puffs while pinching it between his fingers.

Barefoot, Chen Xi walked right up to Zhou Yanzhou. Staring at him with a persistent gaze, the bridge of her nose soured, and her eye sockets suddenly reddened.

Sniffling, she asked with a grievance-filled face, "Why did you come? Is it because of me?"

When she asked this, Chen Xi still carried a shred of expectation, hoping that his coming to Xiping this time was for her sake.

Regrettably, Zhou Yanzhou was not that kind of person.

Right now, a massive mountain of matters awaited his handling; he had neither the time nor the mood for romance.

Thinking of those headache-inducing red-tape documents, the old man lying in the hospital who might kick the bucket any day now, Teacher Meng's tearful eyes, and that bunch of stubborn shareholders at group headquarters, he had lost any shred of mood he might have had.

If it were before, he might have had a sliver of leisure and interest to properly romance her, but right now, he wished he could find a quiet place to sleep comfortably for two whole nights.

At this thought, Zhou Yanzhou took a drag of his cigarette and denied it expressionlessly, "Really not for you. I came here strictly to talk business."

Chen Xi was dumbfounded on the spot. The gaze she directed at Zhou Yanzhou was filled with disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that after months apart, he had turned into this kind of person—so unfamiliar she couldn't even recognize him.

Seeing her look as though she was about to burst into tears, Zhou Yanzhou leaned down to tap the ash into an ashtray and admitted with a helpless expression, "Can't help it. I was born a bad seed."

Saying this, Zhou Yanzhou pinched out the cigarette butt, stood up, looked down at Chen Xi from his height, and stated concisely, "You should still drink less in the future. Your tolerance isn't great, and it hurts when you drink too much."

"I'm leaving. Don't contact me ever again."

Chen Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but meeting Zhou Yanzhou's indifferent and ruthless eyes, she abruptly choked off her voice.

That was the third year they had known each other, and she still hadn't managed to find a place in his eyes.