12

After finishing the last subject, Lin Xiao walked out of the exam hall, took out his phone, and sent Su Bai a WeChat message: “How was it?”

Su Bai replied quickly: “Not bad, how about you?”

Lin Xiao: “I think it’s not bad either.”

There was no response after that.

After a while, Lin Xiao, not expecting much, sent another message: “Should we celebrate tonight? It’s rare that we don’t have to study.”

Surprisingly, Su Bai actually replied: “Sure.”

So, on the night after the college entrance exam, Lin Xiao and Su Bai sat back to back on the floor, each holding a book in their hands…

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Lin Xiao’s veins popped out on his forehead: …

Su Bai held a thick novel, his eyes gleaming with excitement: “I heard this novel is really good. I’ve wanted to read it for a long time. They say the plot is grand, the conflicts are thrilling, and the characters are finely developed. But studying in senior year was too crucial, so I never let myself indulge. Today, I can finally go all out. I’m going to read it all night!”

Lin Xiao had a face full of despair: “Oh.”

“You call this fucking celebration?! Celebration! Seriously?!”

Su Bai, excited, even had a slight blush on his face. He pointed at the novel in Lin Xiao’s hand and said: “This one you’re holding is also really good. It’s written by the same author as mine. I heard the ending is really unexpected. Aren’t you excited too?”

Lin Xiao coldly and briefly replied: “Excited.”

Su Bai shook his shoulder, his gaze intense: “Are you going to stay up with me all night?”

Lin Xiao gritted his teeth: “… Fine!”

Su Bai flashed a bright smile, his little white teeth showing, and turned back to his book.

Lin Xiao, in pain, held his forehead: “…”

“Dammit, this retard…”

13

When filling out the gaokao applications, Lin Xiao simply grabbed Su Bai’s application form and copied it word for word.

Su Bai seemed a bit uneasy: “Lin Xiao, choosing a university is a big deal. You should really take a look at it.”

Lin Xiao shot him a cold look: “Who was the one saying we were going to the same university?”

Su Bai, lacking confidence, whispered: “I just… didn’t want you to regret it.”

Lín Xiao looked at him seriously: “I have no regrets.”

Su Bai blushed slightly, quickly adjusting his glasses to cover it: “Hmm.”

On the night the college entrance exam results were released, Su Bai and Lin Xiao waited together.

Over the past year, they had worked hard and fought side by side, much like comrades in arms.

Time came, and Su Bai was the first to dial the hotline to check the results. As expected, it was a very high score. Although it was slightly lower than his practice test scores, there was no doubt that his first-choice university was secured.

Lin Xiao and Su Bai high-fived each other.

Lin Xiao sincerely congratulated Su Bai: “Congratulations.”

Su Bai, eagerly said: “Quick, check yours.”

Lin Xiao nodded and picked up the phone.

Su Bai extended a hand, his eyes clear and calm: “If you’re nervous, you can hold my hand.”

Lin Xiao wanted to say that he wasn’t that nervous, but after a moment’s thought, he seized the opportunity and held Su Bai’s hand.

Su Bai’s hand was as white as his name. Not only was it white, but his fingers were long and slender, with small knuckles, almost like a girl’s hand. The moment Lin Xiao clasped it, both of them froze for a moment.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, and his once relatively calm heartbeat suddenly became chaotic.

Damn it, it was fine before I held his hand, but now I’m nervous, Lin Xiao thought with a wry smile as he dialed the inquiry phone number.

Su Bai anxiously watched Lin Xiao’s expression from the side, staring at his face as it shifted from a slight smile to a dumbfounded look of surprise.

Su Bai nudged Lin Xiao: “How is it?”

Lin Xiao mechanically put down the phone, muttering to himself, “No way…”

Su Bai’s heart sank, and his eyes instantly turned red: “How is it?”

Lin Xiao burst out laughing: “Haha, I’m three points higher than you! Three points! Haha!”

Su Bai froze for a moment, then also laughed, punching Lin Xiao’s back while laughing: “What did you just do? You scared me to death!”

Lin Xiao stuck out his tongue: “Just messing with you.”

Su Bai was so happy he started slapping the table: “Quick, tell your mom and dad!”

But Lin Xiao suddenly said: “Hey, do you remember the bet we made?”

Su Bai honestly replied: “I remember.”

Lin Xiao said: “I get to make you do one thing, anything, and you can’t go back on it.”

Su Bai pressed his lips together, seriously saying: “Alright, you tell me.”

Lin Xiao’s gaze lingered on Su Bai’s beautifully shaped lips for a moment, and with an ambiguous smile, he chuckled twice: “Just keep it in mind for now, as long as you remember this.”

Su Bai stared blankly: “Alright, I keep my word. You don’t need to worry.”

Lin Xiao’s mood lifted dramatically, feeling incredibly happy.

Damn it, this little retard, you’re in for it.

14

After the results came out, Lin Xiao and Su Bai’s class organized a gathering.

The event started with a meal, followed by a trip to KTV for some karaoke.

With the gaokao behind them, everyone was in high spirits. The private room was filled with wild, carefree shouting and singing.

Su Bai sat quietly in the corner, occasionally pushing up his glasses. He calmly listened to his classmates sing, and after each one finished, Su Bai would sincerely clap.

When it was Lin Xiao’s turn, he sang a lively and upbeat campus love song. His voice was good, and he liked singing in his spare time. Whenever the school organized events, Lin Xiao was often seen performing. As soon as he started singing, the previously noisy room fell silent. Everyone instinctively clapped along, and some even softly hummed along.

The entire time Lin Xiao was singing, he stared intently at Su Bai.

Su Bai would occasionally glance at Lin Xiao, sometimes at the screen, and at other times at the ground.

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but feel that Su Bai’s face seemed to have turned red all the way down to his neck, perhaps from the lighting or something else.

After the song ended, Lin Xiao walked over to Su Bai amid loud applause, casually asking, “How was my singing?”

Su Bai sincerely complimented him, “It sounded really good.”

Lin Xiao responded, “You should sing a song too.”

Su Bai waved his hand, “I’m not that good at it.”

Lin Xiao didn’t give up. “It’s fine, just for fun. Look at Li Chao, he can’t sing but still owns the mic.”

Su Bai laughed, feeling a bit shy. “But I didn’t know any of the songs you guys are singing.”

Lin Xiao shrugged. “Then sing an old song. I want to hear it. Can’t you sing one for me?”

In Lin Xiao’s mind, ‘old songs’ probably meant something by Andy Lau or Jacky Cheung.

Su Bai scratched his head, feeling a bit uneasy but nodded in agreement. “Alright then.”

Lin Xiao was thrilled. He clapped loudly and shouted, “Quiet down, everyone! Su Bai is going to sing!”

The class’s long-standing academic top student was going to sing, and everyone was curious. After a round of enthusiastic applause, the room quickly quieted down.

Lin Xiao looked at Su Bai’s slender, delicate figure and, feeling a rush of excitement, smugly added, “Ahem, just to clarify, this song is for me alone. You guys can let your imaginations run wild later.”

The classmates immediately began to tease: “Oh, we knew it! You two have a thing going on!”

Su Bai’s ears instantly turned bright red.

Lin Xiao felt a sense of satisfaction, completely pleased with himself.

Soon after, the room filled with the powerful and grand opening notes of the song…

Su Bai nervously gripped the microphone, seriously introducing: “Hello, everyone. Today, I will be singing the seventh movement of Yellow River Cantata — Defend the Yellow River…

~The wind is roaring! The horses are neighing!~

~The Yellow River is raging! The Yellow River is raging!~

~On the west bank, the mountains rise to the sky! On the east bank, the sorghum in Hebei is ripe! Among the countless mountains, there are many heroes fighting the Japanese!~”

The KTV room was suddenly flooded with a sea of laughter. The loudest laugh came from that jerk Li Chao, who laughed while patting Lin Xiao’s thigh: “Hahahaha, Lin Xiao! Su Bai sang this just for you, hahaha! Damn, hahaha! You two lovebirds sure are quite the pair, hahahahaha!”

Lin Xiao’s face turned completely green: “…

Damn, you fucking retard!!!!!