Chapter 110

Jiang Zhihuo: “!!!!”

“You passed the guaranteed admission threshold?!” Jiang Zhihuo flipped over and shot up, a smile stretching from the corners of his mouth to his eyes. His entire face was alight with excitement. “Let me go downstairs for a bit!”

“Where are you going?” Yan Mu asked.

Jiang Zhihuo was itching to go. “I’m going to run two laps outside! My Yan-ge is calm, but I’m going crazy with joy!!”

Yan Mu tilted his head up, the corners of his eyes curving for a moment before he reverted to his usual cool and detached expression. “…This is perfectly normal.”

Yan-ge was being tsundere. He looked nonchalant on the surface, but he actually wanted to be praised.

Jiang Zhihuo threw his arms around Yan Mu and nuzzled him wildly. “How is my dear Yan-ge so amazing! B University! Guaranteed admission! Say, shouldn’t I reward you with something? How about I cover your late-night snacks for tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after?!”

Yan Mu’s expression turned serious in a second. “Are you sure that’s a reward?”

Jiang Zhihuo giggled. “It counts!”

The next day, news of Yan Mu passing the guaranteed admission threshold spread like wildfire throughout the entire school.

All of Lincheng No. 1 High School went into a frenzy.

B University!

Guaranteed admission!!

He didn’t have to take the college entrance exams!!

He’d won at life!!

Although with the God of Learning’s scores, he could have gotten into B University through the college entrance exams anyway, the words “guaranteed admission” added a whole other level of prestige to the students of Lincheng No. 1 High School, who were all focused on the exam route. Every stroke and every detail feels so prestigious!

Coincidentally, the third-year students had another unified test that day. Before the exam, the doorway to Class 4 was packed with people.

“What are you doing?! What are you doing?!” The students of Class 4 blocked the top students from other classes who were eagerly trying to barge in.

“Let me in! Make some space for me!”

“I’m here to absorb the God of Learning’s good luck! The B University’s God of Learning!”

“Wishing myself an outstanding performance on this afternoon’s unified test!”

“I’m here to soak in the B University atmosphere. What if I get in too! What if!”

“Hey, hey, hey! You two!” A boy from Class 4 stopped Sun Liyu and Chang Luo. “It’s one thing for other classes to come and absorb the God of Learning’s luck, but what are you guys from Class 1 doing here? Isn’t Huo-ge enough for you to absorb?”

Sun Liyu retorted, “It can never be too much luck! The more the merrier!!”

The Class 4 boy said, “Are you that superstitious?!”

Sun Liyu shot back, “You’re not superstitious? Then what are you doing holding the God of Learning’s scratch paper?!” He looked closer. “Is that Huo-ge‘s name on it too?!”

With Yan Mu securing guaranteed admission, Lincheng No. 1 High School naturally wouldn’t pass up the chance for publicity. When a reporter requested an interview with Yan Mu, the school leadership readily agreed.

After all, every school’s reputation hinged on its university acceptance rates. Every student who got into a top-three university was a golden ticket for the next year’s student recruitment.

That afternoon, only halfway through the unified test, Yan Mu was called out of the classroom by a teacher for the interview.

When Jiang Zhihuo went to find Yan Mu after the exam, the interview was still ongoing. He was lucky enough to overhear a bit of it.

As expected of the God of Learning, after taking photos and asking a ton of questions about his feelings, the reporter began to ask about Yan Mu’s study methods.

The reporter asked, “How do you usually work through practice problems?”

Yan Mu replied, “I do practice exams. Each set, twice.”

Reporter: “Competition math is quite difficult. When you’re studying and encounter a problem you can’t solve, what do you do?”

Yan Mu: “I think about it for a bit.”

“Mhm.” The reporter waited patiently for Yan Mu to continue, but seeing as Yan Mu didn’t seem to have any intention of speaking, he asked with a smile, “And then?”

Yan Mu: “Then I know how to do it.”

Reporter: “…”

This exchange was posted on the school forum by a student who had also come to watch the excitement.

[Pfft hahaha, God Yan is incredible.]

[What do you do with a problem you can’t solve? Think about it for a bit, and you’ll know. Hahaha.]

[A study god is a study god for a reason. He can figure it out just by thinking. Unlike me, who might not even get it after looking at the answer.]

[That’s hilarious hahaha. I was there this afternoon. I saw the reporter’s expression go from full of anticipation to utter shock, and God Yan even had a confused look on his face, asking him what was wrong. Hahaha, I could feel the critical hit.]

[A crush from the study god. We can’t compare to that gap of several dozen points, but it’s still so funny hahaha.]

The school’s Weibo account posted Yan Mu’s photos, a set of nine, with a big, bright red image in the center that read, “Congratulations to Yan Mu of Class 4 senior year three, on his guaranteed admission to B University.” They also tagged B University’s student union.

It was originally just for publicity, but that afternoon, the B University student union actually reposted it with the caption: “Wow, is this the junior who got in through guaranteed admission this year? He’s so handsome! This little admin is satisfied (lies down flat).”

The comments section blew up.

[The junior is so handsome!!]

[Changing the topic, does he have a partner? This senior is single!]

[Oh my god, he’s handsome! Is he an alpha?]

[He’s in the Math Department! Friends! He’s a junior in the math department!!]

[The girls in the Math Department are so blessed!]

[There are already so few girls in the Math Department. Oh my god, I’m so jealous of them!]

One senior student searched and found that this junior didn’t use Weibo much. So, she searched her way into the Lincheng No. 1 High School forum, browsed around with great interest, and came out feeling dejected.

[Everyone, stop asking. The junior has a boyfriend. I heard he’s also a study god, so they’ll probably be seeing each other at B University when school starts. We’ll just have to admire him from afar at the opening ceremony…]

…

On Saturday, Pick U’s third ranking announcement aired.

It was the last recording before the finale. The number of trainees had been whittled down from one hundred to fifty-five, then to thirty-five. After this episode, only twenty would remain.

The trainees were all around the same age, and having spent so much time together, they had long since formed bonds. Before entering the recording studio, the thirty-something of them gathered in a group hug.

“Let’s all do our best! No matter what the results are, we haven’t wasted these past few months!!”

The atmosphere in the studio was heavy. The mentors announced the rankings one by one. When they called Yun Xiaoxu’s name, the mentor let out a “wow” and slowly raised his eyebrows. “What rank do you think you’ll get today?”

Yun Xiaoxu didn’t pick up his microphone. He lowered his eyes, thinking hard, his lips moving as he was clearly muttering to himself.

[What’s he saying?]

[Is he muttering? Our Xiaoxu loves to talk to himself and mutter when he’s nervous.]

[I want to know what he said. I have a feeling it’s going to be hilarious!]

The production team, well aware of what the audience wanted, gradually zoomed in on the camera. The previously inaudible muttering became clear: “Um… same as last time should be fine. I probably won’t drop, right? I’ve been working really hard lately, and I’ve been active online. I did okay in the last side quest game, and the feedback on my livestream was pretty good. Mhm… Yun Xiaoxu, you can do it! Guess boldly!!”

The bullet comments exploded with laughter.

[What is this dorky little angel? Does he have to give himself a pep talk before guessing his rank? Hahaha.]

[Too funny! Yun Xiaoxu, guess boldly! All your fans will make it happen for you!]

[Be as bold as the land is vast! Guess! First! Debut in the center position!!]

Yun Xiaoxu gave himself a thorough mental pep talk. The audience and mentors all thought he was about to make a bold, ambitious guess. But instead, Yun Xiaoxu raised the microphone and said, “Twelfth! Yes! Twelfth place! I can do it!!”

He was so adorable that the mentors and other trainees all laughed. The mentor announced his result: “Yun Xiaoxu, congratulations. Your rank this time is—fifth!”

Yun Xiaoxu’s eyes slowly widened. “!!!!”

In the second ranking, he was only close to the debut cut-off! This time, he was directly in fifth?!

He jumped straight to his designated spot, first bowing to the camera. His ranking speech was sincere, humble, and hilarious, and a long string of “hahahahaha” floated across the bullet comments.

After watching Yun Xiaoxu’s part, Jiang Zhihuo turned down the tablet’s volume and focused on his practice problems. Beside him, Yan Mu was filling out forms sent by B University.

After finishing two practice exams, Jiang Zhihuo got up to take a shower. He had only been in the bathroom for ten minutes when the doorbell rang. “Hello, delivery.”

Confirming the person’s identity through the peephole, Yan Mu opened the door. The shipping label had Jiang Zhihuo’s name on it. Yan Mu signed for it and carried the box inside.

Just then, Jiang Zhihuo turned off the water and was lathering himself with shower gel. Hearing a noise in the living room, he asked, “Who is it?”

“Delivery.” Yan Mu found a box cutter and prepared to open the package. It was a habit of his to open things as soon as he bought them so he wouldn’t forget to take out the packaging the next day. As he sliced through the tape, he asked, “What did you buy?”

“I’ve bought quite a lot of things recently.”

However, the moment the words left his mouth, the tape was sliced to the end. With a pop, Jiang Zhihuo, wrapped only in a bath towel, bolted out of the bathroom.

Seeing the box on the table, his face turned pale. He yelled, “Yan-ge, don’t open it!!!”

He was too late. The tape had been cut, and the cardboard box automatically popped open.

A full box of… those kinds of supplies.

All sorts of styles, neatly arranged. The seller had even thrown in a maid outfit, which sat right on top, visible at a single glance.

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

Yan Mu: “…”

At that moment, Study God Yan was at a bit of a loss.

Jiang Zhihuo clutched his head in frustration, his palms sliding down his entire face. He blushed from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, and then from his ears down to his neck.

“It’s just… d-didn’t you ask me before what we should do?” Jiang Zhihuo closed the box. “So I bought… but Yan-ge, please don’t misunderstand! I wasn’t planning on using them now. I just wanted to bring them back and do some research, for after the college entrance exams…”

Yan Mu nodded. “…Okay.”

Jiang Zhihuo slowly backed towards his room, talking as he retreated. “So now, Yan-ge, you pretend you didn’t see anything. There was no delivery earlier. You were filling out your forms. Yes, you’ve been filling out your forms this whole time.”

Jiang Zhihuo retreated into his room, closed the door, lifted the bed board, and shoved the box underneath. Then, he slowly slid down the wall into a squat.

My reputation… my reputation is gone!!

It’s completely gone!!!

Yan Mu pretended not to know about Jiang Zhihuo’s delivery box, but Jiang Zhihuo himself couldn’t get over the hurdle. He moved the box to several different places when Yan Mu wasn’t around, but ultimately felt that no hiding spot could alleviate his sense of shame. Buying it was one thing, but being discovered by his boyfriend? How could he ever recover from this?!

He thought about it for a long time and finally forced himself not to think about it. Whenever his face started to burn, he would do practice problems. Studying made one forget everything, including shame.

Time flew by in the third year of high school. In the blink of an eye, another week had passed.

After this week, all classes at Lincheng No. 1 High School will be finished, and students will begin self-study. To create more spacious study environments, half the students stayed in the classrooms, while the other half went to the science building across the way.

On Thursday, the doctor notified Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu to come to the hospital for another compatibility test.

When he saw them, the doctor’s eyes were shining. He circled a line of data, his voice filled with unconcealed excitement. “My god! Have you seen the compatibility rate?!”

“One hundred percent!! A one hundred percent match!! I’ve never seen such a high compatibility rate!!”

The doctor’s gaze was so fervent that Jiang Zhihuo suspected he was about to drag them into a lab for dissection in the next second. In reality, the doctor did want to get another sample of their pheromone data, so he tried to persuade them, “You know what this means, right?! You’re soulmates! And it means that your problem of not being able to touch others can be completely cured!!”

Jiang Zhihuo wasn’t interested in the soulmate part, but since it could cure Yan Mu’s condition, he agreed to another test without hesitation.

After submitting their blood samples, the doctor handed Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu a business card. “This is my senior colleague. We’re conducting research together, just in different fields. He’s an expert in pheromones. If you ever have the chance to go to the capital, you must go find him.”

Two days later, on Saturday, was the live finale of Pic kU.

The finale was held at Lincheng’s largest stadium. Due to the previous kidnapping incident, the production team had worked with the city management and public security departments to ensure thorough safety measures were in place.

Audience members with tickets entered in an orderly fashion after having their tickets checked. Fans who couldn’t be there in person were already glued to the live broadcast.

In previous years of survival shows, the production team would secretly film videos of the contestants’ parents to surprise them during the finale. But this year, the team changed its usual routine. Instead of family, they invited the fans.

Twenty finalists, twenty fanbases.

From all over the country, different people with different professions, holding up various light-up signs and different support items.

“I don’t know why I suddenly started to like you. Maybe it’s because you shine so brightly, or maybe because when you said you would never give up on music, it struck a chord with me. I found the strength to run forward, to enter your world and listen to your music, and to find my own dream in my world.”

“You just charge forward, don’t worry about what’s behind you. We didn’t come for your fame, and we won’t leave because of rumors.”

“I’d never gotten into chasing idols before, but for some reason, I noticed you from the very first stage. I learned how to boost rankings and manage data, and learned how to join voting groups. It’s so interesting, so many people chasing after one incredibly hardworking figure.”

“Being able to protect the boy who brings me sun, I’m just so happy!!”

The fans shouted out the words they most wanted to say to their idols. On stage, the contestants were crying their eyes out. In the final scene, the twenty fanbases raised their own idol’s support signs together and shouted in unison, “Continue forward fearlessly and shine forever!”

Amidst the fans’ cheers, the stage rose, and the previously eliminated trainees appeared on stage together. The music for the theme song filled the entire stadium.

The finale had officially begun.

On Pick U’s debut night, Yun Xiaoxu adopted yet another style. His stage presence was explosive, and his rank rose another two spots from fifth in the third ranking announcement, allowing him to debut in third place.

He had never imagined he could achieve such a result. He was in a complete daze as he walked on the “flower path” to his debut spot.

Below the stage, his fans raised their support signs and shouted, “Yun Xiaoxu! Go for it! Sunris will rise for you in every round!!”

In the class group chat, the girls were discussing as they watched the live broadcast—

*

-The finale makes me cry so much.

-The fan videos were so heartfelt. They really spoke from the heart!

-I’m definitely stanning this group! Their concert is right after our college entrance exams, right?! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!!

-By the way, @Huo-ge, I heard Yun Xiaoxu is your brother?

-Sworn brother.

– A sworn brother is still family. Could you maybe…

-@Huo-ge, I was wondering…

Jiang Zhihuo: We are actually planning to get a meal later. I can ask about autographs!

*

-Ahh! Huo-ge, you are so nice!!

-I’m so happy! I’m so, so happy!

-I have no regrets in this life knowing Huo-ge!!

Jiang Zhihuo: “?”

While the class group chat was buzzing, Yun Xiaoxu calmed himself and gave his debut speech.

“I never thought I’d be able to stand here. Thanks, Sunris! I know you all worked day and night voting for me. You’ve worked hard.”

He gave a deep bow to his fans below the stage.

He spoke a long, heartfelt passage. The fans below screamed, “Yun Xiaoxu, you deserve it!!”

At the very end, Yun Xiaoxu wiped the corner of his eye. Facing the camera, the rims of his eyes reddened.

“I hope that in the future, I can see everything in nothingness, and find wild, fervent songs in the biting cold. May the sun shine without end, and may life never cease.”

Jiang Zhihuo had unknowingly finished the potato chips in his lap. Just as he was about to get up for another bag, Yan Mu handed him a bowl of cut fruit.

“You’ve had your quota of chips for today. Eat the fruit,” Yan Mu said.

Jiang Zhihuo glanced at the chips, then looked up at Yan Mu and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“What is it?” Yan Mu asked.

Jiang Zhihuo hugged the fruit bowl, looking at him and smiling foolishly. After a long moment, he finally remembered to reply, “It’s nothing,” and then scooted closer to Yan Mu.

Outside the window, the stars burned brightly, twinkling with abandon. Beneath the night sky were the lights of a thousand homes.

In the live broadcast, the mentors called out two members’ names at the same time. The stage lights fell on them.

The two boys looked at each other, quietly waiting for the mentor to announce the final ranking.

Below the stage, the fans’ screams were incessant.

On the sofa, their arms were pressed together. The feeling of their skin touching was warm and comfortable. He fed Yan Mu a piece of watermelon, then ate one himself.

It was a lively yet gentle night.