"Yeah."

On the way home, the atmosphere grew even more awkward. The tires rolled over the dry road, heading towards the bright lights.

After a while, they reached their destination.

With a bang, Xu Shuang got out of the car. He glanced at Jiang Nian, who was holding the driver's license, hesitated for a moment, and then extended an invitation.

"Wanna come in for a bit?"

"No need, I still have to go back and study," Jiang Nian declined politely, but still turned off the engine and got out to talk.

It wasn't that urgent after all.

Everything that needed to be prepared was prepared. Going back to study was more about habit.

Xu Shuang looked at Jiang Nian, standing so close. His lively eyes held no impurities.

While her heart ached, she couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

"Qiuqiu isn't that effective."

"What?" Jiang Nian asked instinctively when he saw her mumbling to herself, "What's up with the Daoist priest?"

"It's nothing," Xu Shuang shook her head, took a deep breath, "By the way, I have something for you."

As she spoke, a round jade pendant appeared in Jiang Nian's hand.

"This..."

"Qiuqiu has one too, consider it a graduation gift," Xu Shuang said, "I didn't have time earlier and forgot to give it to you."

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then accepted it.

"Thank you."

"Yeah."

Xu Shuang stood outside the teahouse, watching Jiang Nian drive away. When the taillights vanished, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Suddenly, the sound of familiar shuffling footsteps echoed.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look. She saw a man dressed as an old farmer emerging from the courtyard.

Xu Shuang immediately felt awkward, approached him, and called out in a low voice, "Grand... Grandpa."

The old man squinted slightly as he looked at his clever granddaughter, giving her an odd glance.

"Still meeting up with him?"

"I..."

Xu Shuang blushed instantly, "We just had a meal, it's nothing between friends..."

Upon hearing this, the old man pursed his lips.

"No ambition."

Xu Shuang: "...."

Suddenly, she felt that old people really have no filter.

The old man sighed, shaking his head. Having lived a lifetime, how could he not understand his granddaughter's thoughts?

This wasn't her fault, and there wasn't much he could say.

"Is his academic performance similar to yours?"

"Yeah."

Hearing this, the old man's eyebrows raised slightly. He thought to himself, what a fated bond, moving from over four hundred points to more than seven hundred in a year.

Someone like that, what can't he achieve?

They might end up in the same university, with a complicated relationship that's hard to define, and clearly, he's not devoted.

Like a bird that soars, how can he be tied down?

His granddaughter, on the other hand, kept him in her thoughts, worried about intruding on someone else's marriage in the future.

With this in mind, the old man's heart ached, and he advised her in a serious tone.

"Jiang Nian is handsome, he does things with a sense of propriety. He will certainly be extraordinary, and he won't be a live-in son-in-law."

"Someone like that won't lack female companions around him. Even if you end up marrying him, you'll face emotional pain and arguments."

"In the end, it would lead to a messy life and strain the relationships between two families for no reason."

Xu Shuang opened her mouth, but in the end, didn't say anything. She lowered her head, tears falling silently.

The old man, hunched over, seeing this, couldn't help but look up at the sky.

He thought to himself, it's over.

....

The next day, the third mock exam.

The summer rain was abundant, drenching Zhennan County in rounds. The buildings lined up closely, giving off a misty vibe.

The small forest, washed by the rain, looked strikingly green.

"Flying Splashes Across the Sky...." Li Hua, with hands behind his back, remarked, "Today's rain is really pouring down!"

"Damn! If you don't know, just don't talk," Lin Dong couldn't hold it in. "How did I end up in the same exam hall as you?"

"Father and son bonded together." Li Hua remained calm, standing with hands clasped behind him, "For the multiple-choice questions later, let me copy."

"Damn it, can't you write it yourself?" Lin Dong was speechless, but indeed, he was sitting in front of Li Hua.

"I just hate finding answers, such a long passage," Li Hua said, "Just tell me if you'll let me copy or not."

Lin Dong, impatient, said, "Alright, alright!!"

But muttered under his breath, "Lazy like you, how will you manage during the college entrance exam?"

"Chi Shi."

On the other side.

Jiang Nian checked his exam tools and walked confidently into the exam hall, ready to score over seven hundred again.

Sigh, no one from my class here.

Good feng shui indeed!!

The bunch from Class 3 just messed with my exam vibes! Now, no one will disturb me during the exam!

"Jiang Nian, you're here too?"

Someone finished the security check at the door and walked over to him excitedly, looking surprised.

"Huh?"

"You're behind me?"

Jiang Nian looked at the woman who bounded over like a monkey, his mouth opened slightly.

"...Daoist Priest."

No wonder the feng shui is good, love that the feng shui just followed over.

"Sounds good, let's have lunch together?" Zhao Yiqiu couldn't help but drool a bit when talking about food.

Jiang Nian: "..."

Eating together is easy, but if it's just the two of us again, that would be super awkward.

After all, Xu Shuang wasn't saying much yesterday afternoon.

"How many?"

"Of course, three," Zhao Yiqiu said casually, then hesitated for a second.

She widened her eyes, looking at Jiang Nian. Her expression changed from happy to terrified, and then somewhat aggrieved.

"...Can't I eat?"

No, you're just fixated on eating?

"Of course, you can, come with us," Jiang Nian said, "It's just awkward without you."

Zhao Yiqiu: "Really?"

"Yeah, yesterday..." Jiang Nian saw the security check still ongoing at the door, so he chatted with Zhao Yiqiu for a bit.

In a flash, two and a half hours passed, and the exam ending bell rang.

"Let's go, let's eat!!" Zhao Yiqiu left her seat and was about to leave the classroom but was stopped by Jiang Nian.

"You're not taking your stuff?" he asked.

"Leave it there, it won't get stolen," Zhao Yiqiu said indifferently, "I always do it like this."

Jiang Nian was speechless, but still said.

"Hold on."

"Oh."

A lot of people were standing in the hallway, discussing exam questions. The difficulty of the third mock exam wasn't high, but there were clever twists.

There were more foundational questions, almost like freebies. Medium questions increased in difficulty, while hard questions were rare.

In this way, every student had some gains.

Jiang Nian was also recalling the questions when he saw Zhao Yiqiu playing on her phone, thinking how the Daoist priest really lived without worries.

At noon, the three of them found a place to eat outside.

Xu Shuang wore a faint smile on her face, still not speaking much, occasionally asking Jiang Nian to grab a tissue.

"Thank you."

"Uh...you're welcome," Jiang Nian waved his hand, not lifting his head as he scrolled through the class chat messages.

Comparing each answer with his own.

After lunch, the three parted ways. Jiang Nian planned to head back to school when Xu Shuang called to him.

"Hmm?"

"You...having a nap in the dorm at noon?" Xu Shuang fiddled with her fingers, asked nervously.

Jiang Nian, puzzled, "Yeah, why?"

"Just don't oversleep."

"Oh, okay."

In the afternoon, at 2:19.

Jiang Nian was woken up by the phone ringing, looked up, and saw Xu Shuang's call before his alarm even rang.

"Hello?"

"Just a reminder not to oversleep," Xu Shuang said, and hung up right after.

Jiang Nian: "???

"What is the young lady up to?"

He shook his head, washed his face, and went downstairs. Grabbing his exam bag, he opened his umbrella and quickly merged into the crowd, heading to the exam hall.

.....

Two days flew by.

With the final exam finished, the rain also paused. Old Liu called this a good omen, simulating the college entrance exam.

The people of Class 3, upon hearing this, naturally struggled to hold in their reactions.

Jiang Nian walked out of the exam hall, looking at the still gloomy sky. He thought of the exam venues, both on campus and off-campus.

While not crucial, it did affect the state of mind.

Maybe he could find someone to directly pick up and drop off Chen Yunyun and others. It would save time and ease discomfort.

As he pondered, someone patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey!!"

"Hmm?"

He turned around, seeing only a foolish face. Unable to help it, he put on a deadpan expression, how did he forget about her?

"Why'd you come down?"

"The exam bag? Left it in the exam hall?"

"No, but I only brought three pens," Wang Yuhe pulled out exam pens from her pocket.

"See how smart I am?"

Jiang Nian: "...."