While the other students were still nervously flipping through their exam papers, Fang Yi was stuck on a much deeper dilemma—should he go to Jinan or Donghua?
Forget it. Let fate decide.
He came up with a simple method: if the last digit of his college entrance exam score was odd, he'd go to Jinan; if it was even, then Donghua it was.
Yes. That settled it.
Having wasted half an hour on this utterly unproductive mental debate, Fang Yi finally picked up his pen with great satisfaction and began his test.
To be honest, Chinese as a subject was borderline mystical—it defied logical predictions. Apart from the poetry fill-in-the-blanks and multiple-choice questions, the reading comprehension and essay portions were ridiculously subjective.
There was a popular joke online in later years: the goal of reading comprehension wasn't to understand what the author meant, but to figure out what the person who made the question thought the author meant.
But the real kicker was—who the hell knew who actually made these questions?
Of course, for someone like Fang Yi, who had basically unlocked cheat codes for life, none of this was a problem.
He breezed through the entire test in half an hour. Still, not wanting to stand out too much, he carefully checked his answers once more and only handed in his paper with twenty minutes left on the clock.
Another reason for waiting was that he'd still have to wait for Zhao Wanqiu and Shen Hao anyway. Why wait outside when he could sit in the classroom, where at least there was a fan?
The moment he stepped out of the school gate, a swarm of people surged toward him.
Parents, clearly anxious, started bombarding him with questions in overlapping voices.
"Young man, was the test hard this year?"
"How did you do?"
"What score are you aiming for?"
…
Just as he was trying to navigate through the crowd, a reporter popped up out of nowhere, microphone in hand.
"Hello there! I'm a reporter from Jiangzhen Daily. Would it be okay if I interviewed you for a moment?"
Damn it!
Fang Yi had deliberately waited until there were only twenty minutes left before the exam ended, thinking it would help him blend in. But somehow… he still ended up being the first one out.
What the actual hell…
Seeing no escape, and realizing he probably wouldn't be able to leave without saying something, Fang Yi reluctantly nodded. "Alright, sure."
The reporter, clearly pleased, began the interview. "First off, what did you think of the Chinese test this year?"
"Not too bad," Fang Yi replied casually. "A lot of the material felt oddly familiar."
"This student seems quite confident!" The reporter smiled. "So how many points do you think you'll get?"
"Around 120, I guess? Chinese has a lot of subjective parts, so it's hard to give an accurate estimate."
"120 is quite impressive. Did your parents come with you today?"
"They wanted to, but I convinced them not to."
…
"Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to the camera?"
Up until now, Fang Yi had been answering very politely and conservatively.
But for this last question, he couldn't help himself. With a perfectly serious expression, he turned to the camera and declared, "Buff Irelia, please!"
The reporter blinked. "Huh?"
The onlookers stared blankly. "What?"
Taking advantage of the stunned silence, Fang Yi slipped away from the crowd with ninja-like speed.
He stopped by a small shop nearby and bought a bottle of soda. As he sipped it slowly, he waited for Zhao Wanqiu and Shen Hao to finish their exam.
It wasn't until the test officially ended that the two of them finally came out of the school building.
The three of them chatted about the test while riding their bikes home together, laughter weaving through the quiet streets.
Over the next two days, Fang Yi decided to play it safe. He didn't want another crowd of reporters and parents jumping him. So he sat quietly in the exam hall each time, waiting until the very end to turn in his paper.
On the third and final day, when the English exam ended, the change in atmosphere within the classroom was palpable.
It was like a tightly wound string had suddenly gone slack.
The feeling was… strange and magical.
Some students lay on their desks sobbing uncontrollably. Others were jumping up and down with joy. At this moment, they were all standing at a crossroads, each about to walk a different path in life.
"Yi-ge!"
As he stepped out of the exam hall, Zhao Wanqiu came running up to him. Her smile was as bright and warm as spring sunshine.
Just as she reached his side and opened her mouth to speak, a violent coughing fit overtook her.
Fang Yi patted her gently on the back, his expression calm. "Qiu-ge, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" she waved him off, forcing the cough back down. "It's probably from sitting near the fan the past couple of days. My throat's just a little irritated."
Fang Yi chuckled softly. "Qiu-ge, I'll take you somewhere nice tomorrow."
"Where?" Her eyes lit up with curiosity and anticipation.
"You'll find out tomorrow. Let's head home first."
…
As soon as he walked through the door, before he could even sit down, Zhuang Shufen rushed up eagerly.
"Son! How did the exams go?"
Fang Yucheng had warned her not to pressure the kid, so she had been holding back for two whole days. But now that it was all over, she couldn't contain herself anymore.
"All good!" Fang Yi flashed an OK sign and lifted a glass of chilled herbal tea to his lips.
Surprisingly, Zhuang Shufen didn't start preaching this time. Instead, her face lit up with joy. "Really? How many points do you think you'll get?"
"No clue," he said lazily, "but getting into Jinda should be a sure thing."
"Wait till your dad gets home—let's go out and have a proper celebration! We'll invite Wanqiu and her mom too. We all need to celebrate!"
Even now, Zhuang Shufen hadn't forgotten about Zhao Wanqiu. It really made you wonder how much she liked the girl…
They went out to eat at a restaurant that evening—Fang Yi's family, along with Zhao Wanqiu and her mother.
The dinner was a joyful one, laughter and smiles all around. But by the end of the meal, Wang Juan couldn't hold back her tears.
Raising a daughter on her own hadn't been easy. The struggles and sacrifices she had endured—no outsider could truly understand. But now, her daughter was finally going to college. In just four more years, once Zhao Wanqiu graduated, she'd be free at last.
If there was one regret… it was that the two childhood sweethearts, Zhao Wanqiu and Fang Yi, had somehow ended up as sworn "bros" and besties instead.
Both families had once quietly entertained the idea of marrying the two kids off. They never said it out loud, but everyone knew.
After all, both families had worked in the same factory, and the two kids had grown up together, practically under the same roof.
But alas… somewhere along the way, the two of them had gone from childhood friends… to blood brothers.