And so, this allegedly magnificent party finally ended. Huo YeRui had no idea how, at the very last moment, the limelight fell back onto Lin Qian.

  He accepted the bill from the restaurant manager, still holding the heavy and incomparable ‘National College Entrance Exam Questions For The Decade.’ Huo YeRui was currently feeling a considerable amount of loneliness and resentment.

  Unfortunately, no one was very concerned about him and his loneliness. The students started to leave in twos and threes, still whispering about what just happened between Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing.

  All the students from No. 12 were still full of shock and had nowhere to vent, so they enthusiastically tried to explain Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing’s legendary rivalry to their friends from other schools.

  But their stories and emotions were doomed to be disregarded. When the other students heard that the two had been mortal enemies during summer vacation, they fell into silence, one after the other. Then they looked at all the No. 12 students in contempt.

  “Spouting such amazing things, these No.12 really are too powerful, ah!”


  “First, they say that Lin Qian can’t skate. Now they try to brainwash us, saying that Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing are enemies? Is this common practice for No.12?”


  “Do all boys in No.12 get along so well? How can anyone misunderstand their relationship?”


  “This is probably the largest con I’ve ever seen. How can all the No.12 students be so united?”


  “Damn, I’m even a little envious. I also want such good alumni. They’re even classmates!”


  “Oh, now I also want an ‘enemy.’”


  “I don’t. Instead, I want to know what I need to do to start selling radishes and be that profitable.”


  “Can you believe the nonsense those No.12 students are spouting? Maybe this really is some sort of con!”


  &#k2026;&#k2026;

  The students of No.12 who were clearly stating facts, but weren’t being believed: “.……”


  Fortunately, since they were a lot of them, they could huddle together for warmth:

  “I saw the two of them fighting near the playground last semester. My memory isn’t shoddy, is it?”


  “No, no, you remember correctly. Not only did I see that fight, but I also helped break it up.”


  “Didn’t someone in Class 3 make a betting pool on whether they would fight each other right until graduation?

  “Argh, the odds were one to three hundred! I should’ve at least bet 50 cents. I could’ve earned a week’s worth of living expenses, ah!”


  “No, be glad that you didn’t bet. On the day betting started, we were all caught by the teacher. You would’ve lost your shirt!”


  “Pfft- so in the end, no one knows what happened during summer vacation and why the plot suddenly veered off a cliff?”


  “That’s right; it’s too abrupt. It’s like the director changed halfway through the film.”


  “To be honest, as a student of No.12, I’m glad to see the two giants of our school make good progress. But can’t they make the transition a little less abrupt? It’s giving me whiplash.”


  “What I want to know is if Zheng PingQing needs another tutor!”
……

  Xu Yao and Jiang TingJun were originally going to leave with Lin Qian, but when the time came, they could only watch Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing’s retreating figures.

  Jiang TingJun tried to be kind, encouraging Xu Yao: “Do you want to catch up with them and win Lin Qian back?”


  Xu Yao looked at the bag containing the gift Zheng PingQing had given Lin Qian. The logo printed on the side was unfamiliar to him, and its design looked like the perfect combination of art and practicality, fully reflecting its price tag. In the end, Xu Yao looked up to the sky and made a gesture. “Forget it. Ah Qian deserves it.”


  Jiang TingJun: “&#k2026;.”


  Jiang TingJun clapped him in the back and heartily said: “Don’t cry, you still have me!”


  Xu Yao instantly moved away and rolled his eyes. “Get lost!”
……

  Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing slowly walked through the night.

  The city’s lights were shining brightly and were reflected in their pitch-black eyes. It was like the last few vestiges of light after a show had ended.

  “Help me put it on.” Lin Qian suddenly said, lifting his arm out towards Zheng PingQing.

  He had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned, his head inches from Zheng PingQing’s shoulder. Behind Lin Qian, in the distance, was the city’s tallest skyscraper. The building’s exterior walls were covered in multicolored LED lighting that would continuously change to show different messages.

  Just then, the lights changed and spelled out the message ‘I LOVE RONG CITY’


  Zheng PingQiang raised his head and looked upwards. The building was facing their direction, so the words ‘RONG CITY’ was blocked by Lin Qian’s head. This left the ‘I LOVE’ in Zheng PingQing’s line of sight. Zheng PingQing looked back down towards Lin Qian.

  With a chuckle, Zheng PingQing opened the bag he was holding. He took out a fine wooden box, opened it, took out the watch, and solemnly put it on Lin Qian.

  Lin Qian pulled back his arm and smiled. “You gave me the men’s watch.”


  In their last life, Lin Qian was the one who bought the watches. He had given the men’s version of the pair to Zheng PingQing and wore the women’s watch. This time around, Zheng PingQing had put the men’s watch on Lin Qian’s wrist.

  Zheng PingQing nodded, then took out the women’s watch and handed it to Lin Qian: “You put it on me too.”


  Lin Qian put the watch on Zheng PingQing’s wrist, then gave him a big hug. With a smile, he said: “The groom and groom have now exchanged watches successfully.”


  Zheng PingQing kissed him on the chin. “Now, no matter how old we get, or even after we die, you’re not allowed to separate from me.”


  “Unless you turn ugly.” Lin Qian added.

  Zheng PingQing: “.……”


  With great determination, Zheng PingQing replied: “Then I have to be handsome for the rest of my life.”


  Lin Qian recalled how Zheng PingQing looked like just before their rebirth. Confident, he said: “At the very least, you won’t need to worry about it when you’re middle-aged.”


  As the two men held hands and continued to walk home, Zheng PingQing said in a casual tone: “I saw Chen ShiYi this afternoon.”


  Lin Qian replied back just as casually. “I figured.”


  Zheng PingQing began describing his meeting with Chen ShiYi, and Lin Qian was somewhat surprised. “She’s staying in Rong City?”


  Chen ShiYi didn’t stay at Rong City after summer vacation in their last life and instead worked somewhere else. Zheng PingQing then expressed some of his conclusions. Maybe Chen ShiYi had planned to stay even in their last life, but was hampered by Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing when they made a big ruckus. As Zheng PingQing’s biological mother and Lin Qian’s stepmother, their suspensions were probably all too much, and she simply decided to avoid it altogether.

  In the end, it would be impossible for them to feel completely relieved, but they had no problem turning a blind eye to things.

  Zheng PingQing was a little depressed though. “I had the idea of coming out to her when we were talking.”


  Lin Qian looked at him with a raised brow, unwilling to follow this person’s bad example. “There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future.”


  They idly chatted as they walked along the road. The night breeze was gentle, and the restlessness that plagued Zheng PingQing’s heart all day finally disappeared.

  Suddenly, a swerving sports car whizzed past from behind. When it passed them, the driver slammed on the brakes. The sound of friction between the car’s wheels and the concrete street made Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing, who had been immersed in a sweet atmosphere just moments before, jump. They both looked towards the car, displeased.

  The sports car stopped not far from them, and soon the driver stepped out of the car and approached.

  “It must be nice, driving with a license.” Zheng PingQing commented enviously.

  Lin Qian: “.……I hope you can purify your heart a little.”


  Zheng Chong walked up to them, looked at Lin Qian, and said: “Hey, can you tutor me too?”


  Lin Qian: “.……”


  Zheng PingQing: “???”


  Seeing the pair look at him weirdly, Zheng Chong hurried to add: “I can buy you a similar gift too.”


  Zheng PingQing: “!!!”


  Lin Qian immediately replied: “No way.”


  Aggrieved and unwilling, Zheng Chong continued: “Why? I can afford……”


  Zheng PingQing couldn’t help interrupting. “Are you looking for another fight?” While he didn’t want to concern himself with this young child, it was another thing for this little brat to try and steal his wife.

  Lin Qian smiled and answered: “That’s why. It’s because your two dads don’t agree.”


  Zheng PingQing and Zheng Chong both looked at him and asked in unison: “Two dads?”


  Lin Qian put his hand on Zheng PingQing’s shoulder and with a raised eyebrow, said: “Let me introduce you, this is your second father.”


  Then, as if realizing something, Lin Qian said: “Ah, what a coincidence, you even have your father’s surname.”


  Zheng Chong: “.……”


  Today was totally not his day!……

  When Lin Qian went to school the next day, he found numerous eyes following him around. As the top scorer in their year, he usually had a good number of people looking at him, but today, the attention noticeably doubled. Many were whispering amongst themselves as they watched him. Some of them couldn’t even control themselves and blushed whenever he looked their way.

  In his last life, the situation in school was similar to how it was now, but with one glaring difference: Back then, people observed and talked about Huo YeRui.

  Zheng PingQing, who was with him, also noticed the stares. However, his thought process was a little different. He turned to Lin Qian and gloomily said: “Please stop exuding so much charm! I’m feeling a real sense of crisis right now.”


  Lin Qian pulled at Zheng PingQing’s hair and returned the blame to him: “And not at all because of the buff you gave me.”


  As soon as they interacted with each other, there were numerous gasps around them. There was excitement in the air:

  “It’s true, it’s true.”


  “I don’t believe it; it has to be some sort of conspiracy.”


  “Those two swindlers said that they were like water and fire, totally irreconcilable! I guess the better a boy looks, the more deceitful he is!”


  “Haha, I think they only look like they’ve reconciled in the surface. Zheng PingQing’s true feelings are towards his brother.”


  “Plus one, I want to know which brother it is. Zheng PingQing didn’t even hesitate to save this brother’s woman. I’m so fucking moved to tears!”
……

  The two people who were being talked about didn’t much care. They had long passed that phase where they could take high school gossip seriously. For them, the upcoming monthly test was the most important thing.

  Although a test for high schoolers wasn’t that big of a deal, they still needed to take it. This really saddened their middle-aged souls.

  Meanwhile, Lou XingGuang and Dong MingEn were surrounded by their classmates and being tortured.

  “This is too much! You go and secretly make friends with the top class and not even tell us. I was still talking shit about Mr.Lin in front of Boss Zheng you know?! Is Boss Zheng going to make me wear tight shoes? So scary!”


  “Dang, I was acting so weird when I walked past a top student this morning. I didn’t know whether I should say ‘hello’ or not.”


  “I didn’t have that problem. The top student I passed took the initiative and said hello to me first. It’s a little exciting when you think about it.”


  “I can’t fucking believe that Boss Zheng is so flexible, actually princess carrying Lin Qian.”


  “Don’t even mention that. Last night, I saw the photos Class 7 posted in their QQ , blinding this dog on the spot. I’m still not sure if they were photoshopped or not.”


  “No way it’s photoshopped. The photos are also on Weibo, you know. Posted by students from other schools. I’m sure they wouldn’t bother faking something like this.”


  “I saw those too. Boss Zheng and Lin Qian……and maybe No.12 are pretty much famous in the whole city now.”


  “But a lot of those students also say that our school likes to pretend and tell tall tales. What’s up with that?”


  “I heard that Boss Zheng sacrificed himself for his brother. Which brother is it?”


  “Can this brother come and take two steps forward?”


  Several students looked back and forth between Dong MingEn, Lou XingGuang, and Zhou Daota, suggesting that this person should just go ahead and surrender.

  However, the three people being questioned were no less ignorant than they were. Dong MingEn weakly replied: “I was wronged……”


  Lou XingGuang: “Me too……”


  Zhou Daota: “Me too……”


  Seeing that not one of the three admitted to it, the other students sighed.

  “Boss Zheng was willing to sacrifice himself for this person, yet this person doesn’t even dare to stand up and admit it. On behalf of Class 8, I despise you.”


  “Really not worth Boss Zheng’s benevolence. This brother doesn’t have a conscience.”


  “It’s time for Boss Zheng to get better friends. Why not me? I’ll publicly admit that I like Xu PengPeng from the top class.”


  The three brothers who were deemed to have no conscience: “.……”


  Meanwhile, the normally boisterous student named Gou XinDou was silently sitting on his seat like a chicken, looking very serene.

  The author has something to say:

  That ‘I LOVE XX’ is something many cities have. You probably have seen something like that before, with XX being replaced with many different things. The phrase generally has a heart rather than the word ‘love,’ but JJ doesn’t show heart emoticons, so I replaced it with LOVE……

  Compared to their previous life, now little Huo YeRui’s thighs are empty:

  Boss Ke MuZi: I like Lin Qian.

  Rich second generation Zheng Chong: I like Lin Qian

  Goddess You NiNi: I like Lin Qian

  Little Huo YeRui: QAQ

  Lin Qian the highly-skilled moment wrecker at it again. And he was the one who started the moment too!

  And lol, author trolled us. It totally wasn’t random, giving Zheng Chong the same surname as Zheng PingQing.