Chapter 41: College Entrance Exams + Birthday Celebration

Gu Xichao’s heart raced with unease as he was kissed, his gaze lifting suddenly to catch his reflection in the mirror across the bed. In his eyes, the look he directed toward Su Nianmei was something he had never truly seen on his own face before.

He had lived for so long without feeling this kind of emotion—both restrained and indulgent, like a flame burning in winter snow, fierce yet contained.

Su Nianmei, burning with fever, lay against him like someone drunk, her arms loosely draped around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder, tilting back without a word or a single movement.

She was so feverish that her breath came out in warm bursts, her mouth slightly open, the heat landing directly on Gu Xichao’s earlobe.

His whole body shivered, and he raised a hand to steady Su Nianmei’s head, intending to lay her back on the bed.

The moment he touched her hair—

‘Smack!’—her hand came up and swatted his away.

“Liar!” Su Nianmei muttered.

Gu Xichao, not quite catching what she said, responded with a gentle, “Hm?” his eyebrow arched in mild confusion.

Immediately, her hand withdrew from his neck, and she curled up under the blanket, huddled in a small ball.

Gu Xichao knelt by the bed, carefully tucking the blanket corners around her.

He fed her medicine for the fever, applied a warm towel to soothe her, and wiped her palms and the soles of her feet—all in a meticulous, orderly sequence.

Not until the middle of the night did her fever finally break, allowing Gu Xichao a small sigh of relief. Yet, a taut string still pulled at his heart, leaving him more anxious than if he himself were about to take the college entrance exams—though he’d never even taken those exams.

He was up all night, unable to sleep after all the commotion. Only when the first light crept through the gaps in the curtains and cast a faint shadow on the floor did he finally close his eyes?

Su Nianmei, with thoughts weighing on her mind, woke right on time at six in the morning. Though her head felt heavy, her mind was unusually clear.

Propping herself up against the bedside table, she noticed she was still holding the edge of a piece of fabric. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Gu Xichao’s jacket, gripped tightly in her sweaty palm.

Looking over, she saw Gu Xichao lying at the foot of the bed, eyes closed in a light sleep, his shirt unbuttoned a few notches as he slumbered deeply.

Su Nianmei wanted to get up and drape his jacket back over him, but the moment she shifted, making a small sound, Gu Xichao woke up.

“You’re awake,” Su Nianmei said, her voice still hoarse.

Gu Xichao tilted his head, his deep, dark eyes fixed intently on her.

There was something almost magical in his gaze, a warmth that seemed to radiate no matter how one looked at it.

Startled by the sudden attention, Su Nianmei froze, sitting motionless on the bed.

Gu Xichao straightened up, and a soft thud echoed as the wooden stool beneath him creaked. His hand brushed against a towel, knocking it over and sending it tumbling into a basin of water.

Only then did Su Nianmei realize he had spent the whole night perched on a small wooden stool, leaning forward like that.

The towel landed with a splash, droplets scattering, the water rippling gently in the basin.

Gu Xichao stood, his steps slightly unsteady as he walked over to Su Nianmei. He reached out and touched her forehead, relieved to find it cool. “Why are you up so early? You should rest a bit longer.”

Su Nianmei looked down at the water basin, feeling as though it mirrored her heart, rippling with gentle waves.

She looked back up at Gu Xichao and reached out to lightly touch his leg.

Instinctively, Gu Xichao pulled his leg back a little.

“Numb?” she asked.

Gu Xichao chuckled. “No, not numb.”

In response, Su Nianmei poked him again, this time with a mock-serious expression, a hint of playful vengeance but without any real force.

Gu Xichao laughed, pinching her cheek gently. “Alright, yes—numb.”

Su Nianmei felt a bit triumphant inside.

After breakfast, Gu Xichao got ready to take Su Nianmei to the exam center.

To avoid potential traffic delays, Gu Xichao took a bicycle.

She sat on the back seat, her hands gripping the edge of the seat in front of her, wobbling slightly as they rode.

Noticing their shadow on the ground, Gu Xichao said, “Hold on tight.”

Su Nianmei glanced up. Even while riding a bicycle, Gu Xichao’s back was perfectly straight. She pressed her lips together and retorted, “I am holding on.”

Suddenly, Gu Xichao slammed on the brakes, and Su Nianmei collided with him with a soft “thud.” Her nose hit his back, and her lips accidentally brushed against him as well.

She let out a muffled “mmph,” rubbing her nose in annoyance. “Can’t you ride properly?”

Gu Xichao stopped completely, one hand holding the bike steady, his long leg firmly planted on the ground. Only then did he reach back with his free hand, pulling Su Nianmei’s arms around his waist, holding them securely. With a playful tone, he said, “Now, this is how you sit properly.”

Su Nianmei’s face was pressed against his back, and suddenly, her earlier annoyance seemed trivial and pointless.

Meanwhile, Gao Qiusheng stood beneath the second crooked tree outside the school gate, clutching the last exam admission ticket. Although it was June, his legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

This was the college entrance exam—the most important event in many people’s lives!

And his precious ‘little apprentice’ was—late!

Even if it was just three minutes past the agreed time!

Holding onto the last admission ticket, Gao Qiusheng’s hand trembled.

Countless scenarios ran through his mind:

Did something happen on the way?

Did she forget her ID?

Did she… decide not to take the test?

—o—o—o—

With each new possibility, Gao Qiusheng’s face grew paler.

Then, he saw a bicycle approaching steadily. The man riding it had a calm, resolute demeanor, sitting perfectly straight as he subtly shielded the girl in the back from the sun.

And there, on the back seat, was his precious ‘little apprentice’, her arms wrapped around the man’s waist, her head resting against his back.

A rosy glow colored Su Nianmei’s cheeks.

At a glance, she and Gu Xichao looked like the perfect golden couple.

Gao Qiusheng stood there, momentarily dazed, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

But then, a trace of melancholy crept in. With his prized ‘little apprentice’ ’s potential, she ought to be dedicating herself to the country, yet here she was, entangled in romance at such a young age.

He shook his head and sighed inwardly, “What a shame.”

The moment Su Nianmei got off the bike, Gao Qiusheng dashed over, thrusting the admission ticket into her hand. “Classmate Su, you’re finally here!”

Su Nianmei took the ticket, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, Teacher Gao Qiusheng. We got delayed on the way and arrived a bit late.”

Gao Qiusheng’s initial worry melted upon seeing her safe and sound. He launched into a string of reminders about exam protocols—though, considering Su Nianmei’s abilities, it was probably unnecessary. Yet somehow, just looking at her brought out the teacher in him, and the words tumbled out on their own.

Mid-sentence, Gao Qiusheng suddenly noticed the man beside Su Nianmei was watching him.

The man, dressed in casual clothes, exuded an inexplicable aura of intensity.

Gao Qiusheng’s words nearly froze, his mind stalling for a moment.

Then he glanced back at Su Nianmei, who listened intently, nodding with a sweet “Mm” at each point he made, her demeanor softening the moment.

Seeing Su Nianmei’s teacher looking his way, Gu Xichao’s mouth quirked up slightly, a faint smile appearing as he nodded—a subtle greeting.

Gao Qiusheng suddenly felt that the man’s intensity had softened, replaced by tenderness when he looked at ‘little apprentice’.

Gao Qiusheng sighed again, thinking to himself, *It’s over. My prized student is probably going to fall headlong for this man in this lifetime.*

As the school gates opened and it was time to enter, Su Nianmei, mingling with the crowd, walked into the exam hall.

Suddenly struck by inspiration, Su Nianmei peered through the dense crowd outside the school gate.

It was just past eight in the morning, and the sun was still gentle.

The warm yellow sunlight spilt across the ground, wrapping everything in a cosy glow.

Standing at the entrance like a pine tree, Gu Xichao stood out among the many companions waiting for their students.

Gao Qiusheng took out his handkerchief, wiping the sweat that streamed down his forehead and waved toward Su Nianmei.

Su Nianmei turned back to head into the exam hall, not looking back again.

A warm feeling filled her heart as if she were brimming with strength.

Two days passed like this, and after Su Nianmei completed her last exam, she stepped out of the hall.

She felt as though something in the world had changed.

The sky was blue, the clouds light, and even the hot wind had turned gentle.

Gu Xiaobao and Gu Xichao stood outside, taking the first row of seats, and even Old Sixth Gu and Jin Chunfen were with them.

Having endured the college entrance exams felt like being reborn from the flames; in this era where knowledge was relatively scarce, she saw her own hope, the hope for her future.

With every step she took, she felt lighter, as if the worries and troubles of the past few months had begun to fade away.

As soon as Su Nianmei emerged, Jin Chunfen and Gu Xiaobao became particularly excited, standing at the entrance and waving vigorously at her. Gu Xiaobao held a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

Su Nianmei accepted the bouquet, the floral scent wafting pleasantly.

“Dad, Mom,” she greeted them one by one.

Jin Chunfen asked eagerly, “How do you think you did, Xiaomei? We didn’t dare to ask over the past two days, afraid it might affect your performance.”

Old Sixth Gu patted his wife’s shoulder, saying, “I’ve done my research on this. The newspapers say not to ask about the exams afterwards; it could affect the students’ mood.”

Jin Chunfen shot Old Sixth Gu a glare in response.

Old Sixth Gu chuckled, his mouth closing as a multitude of wrinkles appeared on his face.

Su Nianmei said, “Most of the questions this time were pretty basic, but the last few were definitely challenging.”

Jin Chunfen let out a sigh of relief. “You have no idea, Xiaomei. The night before your exam, Xizhao said you had a fever. You tossed and turned all night; my heart was in knots, hoping it would be simple for you.”

Old Sixth Gu chimed in, “Exactly. There’s nothing to worry about. After the exam, you need to relax a bit. Don’t listen to your mother, who is creating a tense atmosphere. If you did well, go out and celebrate. If not, it’s fine; take a walk or two. In the grand scheme of life, this exam isn’t that big of a deal.”

Su Nianmei smiled. Although she had a fever during the exam, she felt she had performed adequately. Getting into a decent school shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Gu Xiaobao was perched on Gu Xichao’s shoulders, his small hand reaching for Su Nianmei’s. “Grandpa, Grandma, don’t worry! My mom is really good at studying. She’ll definitely do great on the exam!”

This elicited laughter from the entire family.

As they walked together, Gu Xichao kept pace with Su Nianmei, every step intentionally falling on her shadow as if trying to step into her heart.

Upon entering the house, they found the curtains drawn tight in the back room.

From the outside, it looked entirely dark.

Su Nianmei felt suspicious; from the moment she stepped inside, her family had made various excuses to leave her alone.

Pushing the bedroom door open with her left foot, a row of candles flickered to life, floating like will-o’-the-wisps in the darkness.

Su Nianmei’s heart skipped a beat.

Stepping in with her right foot, another row of candles lit up.

The two rows of candles intertwined, curling and bending, resembling a heart from a distance.

The flickering flames danced erratically in the dark, and Su Nianmei found a certain beauty in their chaotic movement.

She heard Gu Xiaobao, using a voice that mimicked Grandma, counting down, “3, 2—”

Before he could say “1,” someone covered his mouth.

In the darkness, a soft voice exclaimed, “My dear, keep your voice down; otherwise, your mother will hear you!”

Gu Xiaobao nodded and responded with a few “ohs.”

The sound was particularly clear.

Unable to hold back, Su Nianmei let out a quiet laugh.

Suddenly, with a “whoosh,” the tail end of the heart began to glow softly, forming a path of light.

Two figures, one big and one small, emerged from the darkness.

Gu Xichao and Gu Xiaobao carefully carried a cake, slowly stepping into the light.

Gu Xiaobao, being little, moved slowly while Gu Xichao bent down, supporting the base of the cake, taking each step cautiously.

The candles lined a path, leading Gu Xichao and Gu Xiaobao closer to the heart shape.

With smiles brightening their faces, they said, “Happy Birthday!”

Su Nianmei stood frozen in place, her hands and feet stiff, feeling as if the blood had rushed to her head. Her body felt soft and light, like walking on cotton, leaving her unable to tell if she was surprised or delighted.

Suddenly, more heads poked out from the darkness, and Su Nianmei was startled again. Uncle Ji emerged, helping Grandma Ji as they stepped forward.

Old Sixth Gu and Jin Chunfen hurried in from the courtyard toward the back room.

As they walked, Jin Chunfen complained to Old Sixth Gu, “I told you we should have hidden in the room!”

Old Sixth Gu waved his hand dismissively and entered the house.

Everyone gathered, and a chorus of voices filled Su Nianmei’s ears, saying, “Happy Birthday, Xiaomei!”

Still holding the flowers, Su Nianmei lowered her head and sniffed them, finding them to smell even sweeter.