In June, the weather in Ancheng became hotter day by day, and the summer heat gradually pervaded the city.

Shortly after the college entrance examination, the second year of high school resumed.

Lu Nian’s final exam results this year were not ideal.

There was some improvement compared to before, but they still fell short of Lu Zhihong’s expectations.

In the study room of the Lu family.

Lu Zhihong lowered his head to look at Lu Nian’s report card, not speaking for a long time.

Lu Nian sat opposite him, her hands placed neatly on her knees, eyes downcast without a word.

“You know the daughter of the Su family, right?” Lu Zhihong spoke, asking a seemingly unrelated question.

Lu Nian was puzzled. Still, she answered honestly, “I know her.”

She was a senior student one grade above her and also entered the attached middle school through the direct admission route.

“She’s taking the college entrance examination this year.” Lu Zhihong said slowly, “You’re about the same age.”

Su Qingyou had a good reputation outside, following a path of being knowledgeable and courteous, a gentle and refined young lady.

Lu Nian was aware of the somewhat hostile relationship between the Lu and Su families, but she never expected Lu Zhihong to compare her to Su Qingyou even in this matter.

“You had poor health when you were young, and your foundation is weak.” Lu Zhihong said, “I know this, and it’s your father’s fault for not taking care of you, but for your future, you still need to work hard.”

The Lu family was also considered a scholarly family.

The education level of this generation was not bad.

Lu Nian’s cousins were all from prestigious schools, including Lu Zhihong himself, whose education level back then was also quite impressive.

“After the summer vacation, you will be in your third year of high school.” Lu Zhihong said, “Based on your performance in the monthly exams, if you still can’t improve, you should go abroad.”

Lu Zhihong’s requirement was that she should at least be in the top one hundred of her grade.

The affiliated middle school was not an ordinary high school, and being in the top one hundred of this grade was still very prestigious.

Lu Nian had no choice.

She was already very hardworking in her studies, but talent was something that could not be ignored.

For example, when she was learning to draw, she was praised by her teacher in the first color class.

When she casually posted a picture she drew on Weibo, her fans increased rapidly.

But now, even though she was working hard in her studies, her grades had not improved significantly.

Lu Nian’s grades were a bit unbalanced, especially in mathematics, where she was clearly lagging behind.

She had already put a lot of effort into this subject, but there had been little improvement so far.

On the other hand, her English scores from tutoring had improved quite a bit.

Talent was a cruel thing. Some people had it, and some didn’t.

She felt that even if she worked harder, she might not be able to meet Lu Zhihong’s requirements and would be forced to go abroad.

Lu Nian’s eighteenth birthday was coming soon, and the Lu family had already started preparations.

She didn’t feel like celebrating her birthday and spent her days at home, reading, attending tutoring classes, and occasionally sneaking some time to draw.

July came.

Ancheng was shrouded in a sultry heat. Lu Nian was weak, and she rarely went out.

Her skin was too tender, without protection, exposed to this kind of sun, just a short exposure would quickly make it red and itchy.

As the days went by, on the day the college entrance examination results were announced, Lu Nian received a call from Tian Yue at home.

“Nian Nian, you can check your scores now.”

Lu Nian was lying lazily on a lounge chair eating ice.

She sat up straight, “I thought it was tomorrow…”

She had actually remembered the date wrong by a day.

That means Qin Si should have been able to check his scores by now, but there was no news from that end at all.

Her heart suddenly hung in the air, thinking of the worst possible outcome.

“The city’s top scorer in this year’s college entrance examination is from our school.” Tian Yue’s voice was high, “And, you know that person!”

Lu Nian’s heart started beating a bit faster. She repeated incredulously, “I know him?”

Tian Yue raised her voice, “It’s Senior Qin.”

She sighed, “He’s really amazing. He beat the second place by a lot of points. Considering he had skipped so many classes before, he’s handsome, smart, and perfect…”

Listening to this flattery, although it had nothing to do with her, Lu Nian felt quite pleased.

She said she had only done so-so in the exam!

Was this so-so? Indeed, a top scorer was a top scorer. Intelligent, whatever he did was remarkable.

Since childhood, she had always thought that Qin Si was smart and seemed to be able to do anything.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Nian smiled, unable to stop.

I wonder if Qin Si knows… does he know his scores now?

Her mood, which had been in the doldrums for the past few days, finally showed signs of recovery.

She wondered if she should go out later to celebrate with him?

Qin Si had been helping Ming Ge with his work during this time.

He would continue to work outside during the summer vacation and return to help Ming Ge manage his bar at night.

Ming Ge never managed the accounts. He was extravagantly generous and sometimes, when he was in a good mood and had a good chat, he would not even look at the prices and would let others have free drinks.

During the few months that Qin Si went to take the college entrance examination, the shop was in a mess, and the accounts were in such a state that they couldn’t be looked at.

He stayed there for quite a while, until mid-July, before he barely managed to clean up his appearance.

So on the day the results were announced, he rarely slept in a little at home.

And the news about the college entrance examination always spread unusually fast.

The hotline for checking scores in the city was constantly busy.

Soon, every street and alley in the city, as well as relatives and friends with children taking the college entrance exam this year, were all paying close attention.

Feng Yu Media was a local self-media in Ancheng, somewhat famous online. Normally, as long as it attracted attention, it would cover any topic.

This month, naturally, all the front-page headlines were related to the college entrance exam.

It was still early in the morning, and the work group chat was bursting with messages.

“The top scorer this year is from Ancheng Secondary School,” the editor-in-chief said. “And… his family background seems a bit special. Dig into it, find a good angle, maybe we can write an explosive article.”

Feng Congli quickly volunteered, “Editor, sign me up for the interview.”

He had just joined the company and had not yet done an interview on his own, but he was very enthusiastic about his work and wanted to make a big news story with a strong impact.

“My younger brother is his classmate,” Feng Congli said. “I also graduated from Ancheng Secondary School. I still know his homeroom teacher. I just asked his homeroom teacher for his home address.”

“Then go quickly and get a scoop,” the editor-in-chief said.

Feng Congli quickly got up, “I’ll go now.”

He put down his phone, hailed a taxi, and went straight to Xifeng Road.

He had learned quite a bit of related information before.

This teenager named Qin Si seemed to be quite unsociable.

He asked his cousin and asked a lot of people for help, but no one was familiar enough with him to say anything.

They only said that he was unpredictable in his whereabouts, often skipping evening self-study sessions at school, and had a very cold and unsociable personality.

Feng Congli also inquired about some gossip from his cousin and found it more interesting.

Qin Si’s home address was on Xifeng Road.

Feng Congli found his way there, thinking about all the questions in his mind.

He stood at the door, rang the doorbell, and it was quiet over there.

He rang for a long time, and the door finally opened.

It was only about ten o’clock in the morning.

The one who opened the door was a very handsome young man, and his appearance was quite refreshing.

Feng Congli quickly looked him up and down.

He put on a professional smile, “Hello, are you Qin student? I’m Feng Congli, a reporter from Feng Yu Media. I want to interview you about the college entrance exam. By the way, I was introduced by your homeroom teacher.”

He took out his business card.

The young man didn’t take it, nor did he move.

He had slept in late for the first time in years and was now rudely awakened on the way, feeling very unhappy.

Feng Congli had a recording pen in his pocket and was mentally prepared.

He wasn’t too surprised by this cold reception. He took a step forward, blocking the door, “Do you live alone? He asked, glancing inside, trying to see the interior layout.

“I remember, you used to live in an orphanage,” Feng Congli asked, “Did you come to Ancheng after being adopted?”

The young man blocked his line of sight, his slender fingers resting on the door, his black eyes coldly looking at him, his expression unchanged, “Yes.”

Unlike what Feng Congli had imagined, he didn’t seem to mind, or avoid talking about it.

His attitude was cold and indifferent, and his tone was not the least bit unusual when he spoke.

Feng Congli was stunned for a moment and hurriedly asked, “Do you live alone now? Is it very difficult? Do you often receive help from others?”

The young man’s beautiful eyes were cold, but there was no sign of anger.

Feng Congli couldn’t see through his thoughts, so he had to continue, “I also learned some related comments, mentioning that you are receiving assistance.”

The benefactor is still the Lu family.

There are rumors that he was once adopted by the Lu family but was later driven out by them and completely cut off relations, but he has been receiving assistance all along.

“And, are you currently in a romantic relationship with the benefactor’s daughter?

Taking advantage of your relationship with her, did you receive a large amount of assistance?

Or did you get together with your girlfriend because of the assistance?”

Without waiting for him to completely close the door, Feng Congli, who was desperate, squeezed in and asked, finally throwing out this blockbuster question,

“Or did you ever have a relationship?

I’ve seen some comments saying that you got a large amount of assistance because of your girlfriend?

Or because of the assistance, you got together with your girlfriend?”

“How do you feel about these comments?” Feng Congli asked.

In fact, it was just a routine question.

No matter what Qin Si said, he had a topic to write a classic exposé.

“I have no opinion,” the young man said coldly.

He leaned against the door frame, smiling faintly, “Mr. Feng, are you sure it’s okay to interview others like this?”

“It’s just a routine interview.” Feng Congli realized something was wrong and still said shamelessly,

“It’s just a chat between friends. If you don’t want to, I won’t publish it.”

“Oh?” The young man’s phoenix eyes raised slightly.

Feng Congli’s heart inexplicably chilled, and he instinctively reached into his pocket.

The recording pen in his pocket had disappeared at some point.

It was held in the clean, slender fingers of the young man, who played with the tiny recording pen, hanging his eyes, “Why not just make it all public? I don’t mind.”

When he was hanging out on the streets before, he learned a lot of miscellaneous tricks.

Unexpectedly, now, they came in handy occasionally.

Feng Congli was almost sweating cold.

He naturally also knew that if this interview recording was made public, his career as a journalist was probably over.

“Get lost.” The young man said indifferently, “Come to your company’s door tomorrow and get your pen.”

The door had been closed, and he almost flattened his nose.

Feng Congli stood blankly at the door, unable to say a word.

…

In the study, Fang Deng sat cross-legged on the chair, his fingers tapping on the keyboard.

Those deleted posts had been pulled out by the backend, displayed line by line on the screen.

Fang Deng also read through them once, clapping his thigh, “Boss, so sensational? You’re making trouble. I didn’t even know.”

Qin Si didn’t answer, his focus was on the dates.

It should be something that happened a few months before his college entrance exam, on the day of the oath-taking ceremony.

He remembered Lu Nian’s abnormal behavior that day.

She suddenly came to the rooftop to find him, her eyes inexplicably red from crying.

It’s probably that day when she saw these rumors.

Forcibly tied to him, spreading these rumors.

He pursed his lips.

“These rumors are really disgusting,” Fang Deng said, “Boss, they’re spreading such rumors about you? Shouldn’t we do something about it?”

“How could you be interested in that Miss from that family?” Fang Deng sneered.

He had known Qin Si for several years. He was very restrained and had never had a single female mosquito around him.

Fang Deng had always thought that he would definitely be a career-oriented person in the future, perhaps marrying just to fulfill his physical needs, or maybe not marrying at all.

The young man remained silent for a long time, surprisingly not retorting.

The Pocky in Fang Deng’s mouth almost fell.

He was very familiar with Qin Si’s character. At this level, he basically had tacitly approved.

He stuttered, “Is it true?”

The young man, with thick, long eyelashes, quietly glanced at the screen.

In essence, some of those rumors were not entirely wrong.

He did indeed have improper thoughts about her, which had become a deep-rooted obsession in his bones, from some unknown time to now.

Just a smile from her towards him was enough to make him enchanted, willing to do anything.

It was he who had always been fantasizing about Lu Nian.

Fang Deng was stunned.

He cleverly didn’t say anything more, licked his lips, took a bag of milk from the refrigerator, tore open the packaging, and continued to look at the screen while holding the milk in his mouth.

“Qin Ge, you are not unworthy of her either,” he changed his tone, “Men, you have to look at long-term development. Who will be worse off than you in the future?”

Fang Deng said, “These should have been deleted at the request of the Lu family.”

“All of these have been permanently deleted,” Fang Deng held his head, “That journalist must have also kept quiet. Don’t worry, no one will spread it again.”

“And the identity of the first whistleblower is also very delicate,” Fang Deng said, “It’s just as you thought.”

He was a top-notch young hacker. He had dropped out of school long ago.

After getting to know Qin Si, their cooperation had been very pleasant, making money through legitimate means and living a stable life.

However, he hadn’t completely abandoned his hacking skills from the past.

But the final investigation results were exactly the same as Qin Si’s previous speculation, and he had always admired Qin Si’s ability.

“I’m leaving.” Qin Si stood up.

He probably already had an idea of what to do, getting up to leave.

Fang Deng’s hands left the keyboard, “Are you leaving so soon?”

Fang Deng’s room was as messy as a dog’s nest. Every time the hourly workers came, it would be like this again in a few days.

He knew that Qin Si probably wouldn’t stay long.

“So, Scholar, which university are you planning to apply to?” Fang Deng sent him off with a smile, “Why don’t you just give up studying? Anyway, nowadays, education isn’t everything. Why not continue working with me?”

The young man opened an umbrella and casually replied, “Hmm.”

“Or are you going to stay at An University?” Fang Deng continued, “I think An University is pretty good. They even wanted to recruit me to their computer science department before, came to promote to me, saying how great they are. I think it’s not bad.”

“Just study casually.” Fang Deng stretched, “Look at me, I dropped out of school, but I’m still a little genius.”

The weather changed abruptly that night.

It was damp and cold outside.

Lu Nian was at home, feeling somewhat uneasy for some reason.

After the scores were released, it would be time to fill out college applications.

She had no impression of the university Qin Si was supposed to attend, and she didn’t even know if he had ever attended college.

Because the description of this period of his life in the books was very vague, from going to No. 13 Middle School to later becoming an adult, when he returned to An City, he had become that cold, heartless, and ruthless devil.

With her efforts, this timeline should have already deviated.

She hoped he could continue along this trajectory.

As for her, there was a high probability that she would be escorted out of the country by Lu Zhihong.

They might never have any intersection again in their lifetime.

Should she meet him again before he left? Lu Nian was caught in this dilemma.

She had not contacted Qin Si yet.

Ming Ge was very happy today.

“Today, I’m going to do a whole freebie,” he rolled up his sleeves, “The brat has grown up, and he will be a cultured person in the future.”

Qin Si rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, revealing a clean forearm with cold, white skin.

He threw the empty wine glass into the sink and said coldly, “Go check your finances for this month.”

“Ming Ge,” …

He slipped away in a daze, “Then half price.”

The boss is… totally devoid of autonomy.

Ming Ge closed the shop early, saying it was an internal staff gathering, but it was just him, Qin Si, Huang Mao, and Xiao Qu.

Bai Xi left early, and Lan Yin and a few others went out on a date.

After closing the door, Ming Ge opened a bottle of red wine and drank heartily.

However, their celebration was a bit peculiar.

Ming Ge drank, Huang Mao complained about being hungry and ordered a pizza for delivery, eating with Xiao Qu.

Qin Si also rarely took a sip with them, but not much, just a cup.

Ming Ge asked, “Have you decided where you want to apply for college?”

Huang Mao, stuffing his mouth with pizza, said confidently, “Of course, I want to go to the best one.”

Xiao Qu, holding his wine bottle, pushed his glasses, “Go to the capital, it takes a long time to come back after going there, and the ticket is expensive.”

“No ambition.” Ming Ge jokingly scolded, patting him on the head, “Just a little short of money for the ticket.”

Huang Mao said, “Before we leave, let’s throw a farewell party for Qin Ge.”

The young man didn’t look up, “No need for a send-off.”

Ming Ge, “… What do you mean?”

He said calmly, “Where to study is not so important to me.”

Ming Ge almost crushed the blanket in his hand, “Then what is important to you?”

Qin Si raised his eyes, “My family is here. If I leave, who will look after your business?”

His connections, including Ming Ge’s bar, and his home, were all here.