Despite having grown accustomed to Sheng Yan's unusual thought process over the years, Qin Zigui still couldn't understand how Sheng Yan had managed to steer the conversation from that previous topic to this wish in such a short time.

And why did he have to compare looks with Chen Yubai for no reason?

It's not simply about comparing looks; it's about hoping that you can find him more attractive.

Given that the two are arguably Qin Zigui's only two close peers, this relationship actually seems to have a bit of a rivalry for favor.

Qin Zigui glanced at Sheng Yan, and then, thinking about what he had just said, she slightly curved her lips. Perhaps even straight men have some strange possessiveness.

However, this is hardly a wish, since Qin Zigui has never thought that Chen Yubai is better looking than Sheng Yan.

Or rather, apart from Sheng Yan, no one else could be considered good-looking in his eyes; they were all simply described as having two eyes and a mouth, with no significant difference between them.

Without hesitation, Qin Zigui clicked "Approve Wish," adding the comment: "[Wish difficulty too low, Wish Task: None]"

After receiving Qin Zigui's promise that "you will always be the most important person to me," Sheng Yan's unhappiness instantly dissipated, and with the effects of the medicine taking hold, he quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

I also had a dream of summer roses in full bloom, a very bright and beautiful dream.

However, when he woke up the next morning, he had a headache. Sheng Yan turned to his side uncomfortably, reached for his phone, and opened his eyes with difficulty. He originally wanted to check the time, but the first thing he saw was this message.

I was slightly taken aback. What is this?

Then it slowly dawned on me what wish I had made last night.

Is this wish really that simple?

Despite his discomfort, Sheng Yan turned around and looked at Qin Zigui, who was leaning against the headboard sketching notes. He called out in a hoarse voice, "Qin Zigui."

Qin Zigui responded.

Sheng Yan asked, "Who is better looking, me or Chen Yubai?"

Qin Zigui, head down, sketching in his notes, didn't even look up: "Chen Yubai looks like that, what are you comparing yourself to him for?"

“Right, with his looks, what am I comparing myself to him?” Sheng Yan closed his eyes with satisfaction after hearing this self-evident answer, and shrank further into the blankets.

Far away in the city, Chen Yubai, who was quite good-looking and very popular with girls, was doing a physics test when he suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

And this sneeze, carried by unfounded resentment, traveled a great distance to infect the culprit, Mr. Sheng, who was lazily curling up under the covers.

Then, with a "choo," it sounded.

Wrapped in the blanket, Sheng Yan couldn't help but sneeze.

Upon hearing the sound, Qin Zigui immediately looked up and placed her hand on his forehead: "Does your head hurt?"

"It hurts a bit, but I'm mainly dizzy."

Sheng Yan wrapped himself in the blanket again, looking quite uncomfortable, and his voice was also a bit nasal.

She doesn't have a fever yet, but I suspect she has a pretty bad cold.

Catching a cold in the summer is often more uncomfortable than catching one in the winter.

Qin Zigui asked in a low voice, "Shall we go to the hospital?"

"No need." Sheng Yan didn't really want to move. "I'm just a little cold, dizzy, sneezing, and have a runny nose. You can go to the door and ask Uncle Wang to get me some medicine."

Uncle Wang is the head doctor at the small clinic near the entrance. He specializes in treating various common ailments among the elderly and children in the community. He has treated Sheng Yan for all kinds of colds, fevers, and injuries since he was a child. He knows Sheng Yan's constitution very well, and he can usually cure any minor illness or pain with his medicine.

Qin Zigui agreed: "Then you lie down first, I'll go out and get you your medicine. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Whatever, my mouth tastes bitter." Sheng Yan's voice was genuinely weak, but his eyes secretly glanced at Qin Zigui's hand, then he tentatively asked in a low voice with expectation, "Can I skip math today?"

Qin Zigui, who had just finished highlighting the common mistakes for him, froze on the spot, notebook in hand: "..."

What was the source of the joy he sensed in Sheng Yan's tone?

As if deliberately teasing Sheng Yan, Qin Zigui pretended not to notice, slammed his notebook and a stack of test papers in front of Sheng Yan, tapped them twice with his fingertips, and said very coldly: "No way. Look at your test papers yourself, they're full of wrong answers. These are your common mistakes, and if you don't fix them in the next two days, do you think you can pass the exam tomorrow night?"

Looking at the dense array of x and y symbols that suddenly appeared in front of him, Sheng Yan felt that his cold had suddenly worsened in that instant.

So he closed his eyes, wrapped himself in the blanket, and started rubbing against Qin Zigui: "Just one day, just one day, okay? It's not that I don't want to study, it's just that I'm really sick and feel awful. So please let me rest for one day, and I'll continue studying tomorrow, okay? Please."

The voice has a heavy nasal tone, sounding muffled and strained.

This cheeky, spoiled attitude is exactly the same as when I was a kid and didn't want to go to class or do my homework.

I don't know who spoiled them.

Qin Zigui suppressed a laugh, gently pressed his palm against his head, and coldly pushed it away: "Alright, you're sick today, so rest. I'll just talk to you and you can listen, but don't go out and have fun today, don't play games, take your medicine and get some sleep, understand?"

"I heard it, I heard it! Brother Zigui is the best."

Sheng Yan was so shameless in order to avoid studying math that he got the answer he wanted and then happily wrapped himself in the blanket and lay back down obediently.

Those students from Shiwai and the vocational high school would never have imagined that their mighty and domineering Brother Yan was actually just a spoiled little brat who liked to sleep in late.

Qin Zigui smiled and sighed, noted down his symptoms, took his temperature, and only left with his keys and phone after confirming that he did not have a fever.

He had just stepped out the door when Sheng Yan's grandparents returned from their walk. Seeing that Sheng Yan's door was open, they knocked twice, carrying a breakfast bag, saying, "Yan Yan, get up and have breakfast."

Although Sheng Yan used some coquettish tactics, he was indeed feeling really bad, especially since his head was spinning. He originally wanted to sleep a little longer, but when he heard the voices of the two elderly people, he didn't want them to worry. So, the childish guy who was just acting cute and throwing a tantrum immediately propped himself up and sat up: "Grandma, Grandpa."

He tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but his nose was really stuffy.

Grandma Sheng immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly sat down by the bed, touching his forehead: "Yanyan, what's wrong? Are you sick? Should we take him to the hospital?"

Seeing the two elderly people's anxious expressions, Sheng Yan pretended to be nonchalant and said, "No need, don't worry, it's just a common cold. Qin Zigui has already gone to Uncle Wang's to get the medicine for me. I just need to rest."

The elderly man was about to say something more, but Sheng Yan's phone suddenly rang. It was Ms. Xu making a cross-border video call.

As soon as the call connected, Ms. Xu's booming voice came through: "Sheng Yan! Have you gone too far?!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Sheng Yan's mother yelled back, "I think you're the one who's gone too far! The child is still sick! Why are you yelling at him!"

Ms. Xu: "..."

"Mom, I'm sorry."

A powerful and successful businesswoman, she instantly cowered.

Then he asked, "Shengyan, what are you doing at your maternal grandmother's house? And why are you sick?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just went to the shooting range yesterday, and it was too late when it ended. It was also raining heavily, and it was too far to go back to the other side of the river. I missed my grandparents, so I came to stay here."

That line from my grandparents was obviously made up on the spot to appease the two old folks.

Ms. Xu knew perfectly well what was going on, but there was nothing she could do. Her son had always been good with words and knew how to find powerful backers, so she could only suppress her temper and ask in a forcedly polite tone, "I've only been abroad for a few days, and you've already caused me so much trouble? If I hadn't seen the message from your Director Huang this morning, I would have come to scold you a couple of days ago. Tell me yourself, what happened?"

"What? What happened?"

Sheng Yan had gotten into too much trouble, and for a moment it was impossible to determine which one Ms. Xu was referring to.

Out of respect for her mother's authority, Ms. Xu suppressed her loud voice: "What did you say? What happened? You skipped evening self-study and got into a fight with people from the vocational high school, and you even brought Qin Zigui along. You skipped morning self-study and beat up Fu Yun in the toilet. You asked Qin Zigui to help you revise your test paper, and when Director Huang found out, you not only refused to admit your mistake, but you also made a bet with the teacher. You really have some nerve, don't you?"

Sheng Yan obediently admitted defeat: "Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

Ms. Xu knows her son too well; he's not buying it at all: "What's the use of apologizing to me? Do you think your score of 327 will get you into university just because you apologize?"

Upon hearing the score of 327, the elderly couple, who had initially been prepared to defend their son, looked at Sheng Yan in shock.

As highly educated intellectuals who graduated from the most prestigious universities, they began to question at some point whether the current college entrance examination score was actually 750 points.

Sheng Yan lowered his head guiltily.

However, Xu Qingrong didn't intend to continue scolding him: "Alright, I know your grades. I didn't call you today to scold you, I just wanted to discuss something with you."

"Um?"

Sheng Yan looked up and blinked.

“Look, with your current grades, you basically can’t get into any university in China. But I’ve heard that there’s a private elite high school in the UK that’s recruiting students with shooting skills. If you join their school team and get a good ranking, you can get priority admission to many British universities. Your level is perfect for their standards. With a little extra money from home, getting into a decent British university shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ms. Xu always speaks only when she is absolutely certain.

Since she has already discussed it with Sheng Yan, it means she has a pretty good understanding of the situation. As long as Sheng Yan agrees, she can start processing the formalities.

Sheng Yan, who was caught off guard by these words, was stunned for a moment.

Go abroad?

He never considered going abroad.

He is a sentimental and long-lasting person. He doesn't like going to unknown places, nor does he want to face unknown separations.

"Mom, I don't want to go abroad."

Sheng Yan chose to tell the truth.

Xu Qingrong retorted directly, "If you don't want to go abroad, what can you do? With 327 points, are you going to send Zigui to Peking University and you to Peking University Bird?"

Even if his score doubled, he still wouldn't be able to get into the same university as Qin Zigui; that's the difference between them.

Qin Zigui would always be the most outstanding and dazzling one wherever he went, while he could only rely on his family, living a muddled and aimless life. Even after the Wish app came along, he never did anything worthwhile, just like a good-for-nothing.

So even though Qin Zigui said yesterday that they would be each other's most important people in the future, Sheng Yan suddenly became a little unsure whether he could keep up with Qin Zigui's pace.

He had actually been living like this for quite a while, carefree and not feeling that anything was wrong. However, when different people came to remind him of this fact for several days in a row, including his closest relatives, a sense of loss and confusion dominated his emotions.

"Mom, let me think about it some more."

Sheng Yan lowered his eyes.

Xu Qingrong sighed: "Mom doesn't want you to do anything, it's just that with your current grades, failing all your subjects, it's really difficult to get a university degree in China. We should at least get one, right, son?"

Sheng Yan felt utterly useless. He looked down at the math test paper next to him and asked, "If I can get into university, does that mean I won't have to go abroad?"

"But by the time you fail the exam, it will be too late."

It seems that Xu Qingrong has indeed considered all aspects.

Sheng Yan felt he couldn't even find a legitimate reason to refuse her suggestion.

He picked at a broken hair sticking up on the mat, without saying a word.

Even though the two elderly people doted on him, they also felt that Xu Qingrong was right, and for a moment they didn't know how to express their opinion.

A deadlock-like silence fell over the room.

Only after hearing the sound of a key turning and the security door being pushed open did Sheng Yan hurriedly say, "Mom, let me think about it some more. I'll give you an answer as soon as possible."

Xu Qingrong also backed down: "Then you should win the bet you made with Director Huang first. At least pass one subject before we can discuss anything. I won't force you to do anything else for now. Think it over carefully. I love you."

He hung up the phone after saying that.

Qin Zigui entered the room just then and instinctively sensed that something was wrong. After greeting his grandparents, he waited for the two old people to go to the kitchen to start cooking, then sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the dejected man: "What's wrong?"

Sheng Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

He thought about how he might go abroad and be separated from Qin Zigui from then on, not even in the same time zone. He might only see her once a year at most, and it wouldn't be convenient for them to keep in touch. He felt a little depressed because he didn't know that Qin Zigui was dating or making new friends.

After so many years of living together day and night, inseparable, he had naturally come to regard Qin Zigui as an indispensable part of his life, and never thought that he would no longer be able to live with her day and night.

But these past few days, whether it's the possibility of Qin Zigui dating in the future or the possibility of being separated after going to university, everything has been reminding him that Qin Zigui could leave his life at any time.

This realization made him very unhappy, but he couldn't explain why, and he felt he couldn't tell Qin Zigui about his unhappiness.

So he didn't tell Qin Zigui about Ms. Xu's desire for him to go abroad. He just listlessly lay back on the bed, put the test paper in front of him, picked up his pen, and poked a red X: "Qin Zigui, can you explain this question to me?"

Qin Zigui raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.

Before I left home, this person was being coquettish and whining, unwilling to study. How come after buying medicine, they've become so diligent and motivated?

As if sensing his confusion, Sheng Yan covered himself with the blanket, lay on the bed, propped his chin with one hand, and scribbled on the test paper with the other, listlessly saying, "I want to pass this exam."

He needs to pass one subject first to prove to Ms. Xu that he is still mentally sound, not stupid, and can still get into university through studying, only then will he have a slight chance of negotiating.

Qin Zigui, however, thought he was still holding a grudge against Huang Shuliang. Seeing that he was indeed feeling unwell, she didn't want him to force himself and whispered, "You've already passed three out of five papers, and you still have one that's 110 points. So if you're feeling too uncomfortable, let's take a break. If it's really too much, I'll copy the papers for you and help you write a self-criticism."

"No." Sheng Yan refused decisively. "Just tell me, I've never been able to do this problem. Why is it so difficult?"

His tone carried an inexplicable sense of grievance, as if he had been bullied by a math problem.

Qin Zigui was absolutely certain that Sheng Yan had something he wasn't telling him, but Sheng Yan didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't want to press him for answers. Anyway, Sheng Yan couldn't keep things to himself, and he would definitely confess in a few days.

So she glanced at him quietly, then didn't ask any more questions. She turned away, picked up her pen, and began to dissect the math problem that had been bullying Sheng Yan: "Look, first like this, then like this, and then like this, and it'll be fine."

Which one first, then which one, and then which one again.

Sheng Yan felt so dizzy that he was almost gone, and his nose was so stuffy that he couldn't breathe. Looking at the math problems on the test paper, he thought about how he, a rich second-generation, was sick but couldn't rest and had to study. He couldn't even understand what he was studying. He couldn't help but bury his face in the test paper in frustration: "Qin Zigui".

"Um?"

"I feel so pathetic."

"..."

His voice was muffled and he sounded aggrieved.

Whether it's pitiful or not, I don't know.

But it is indeed quite cute.

Qin Zigui noticed that after making up, Sheng Yan was becoming more and more like his old self, especially after he got sick, when he acted like a little spoiled brat. So he couldn't help but pat his fluffy head and said, "If you're really not feeling well, then don't study."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Sheng Yan propped himself up: "No! I must study! As a Chinese man! I must study for the rise of China! Charge!!!"

After yelling, he used all his strength and then collapsed listlessly.

Qin Zigui: "..."

He just went out, and it seems he forgot to buy walnuts.

However, Qin Zigui soon realized that Sheng Yan was not joking this time, but was serious.

Because when Ms. Xu was pregnant with Sheng Yan, Sheng Yan's father had just sacrificed his life. After she left in grief, Sheng Yan was born prematurely.

Due to premature birth and a difficult delivery, Sheng Yan's constitution was not very good from the start.

Although he was pampered and cared for by his elders and grew up to be much healthier, whenever he got sick, his symptoms were more severe than those of ordinary people, and he was also more difficult to recover from.

So for the entire weekend, Sheng Yan was listless and dizzy, to the point that he wanted to lie down as soon as he sat up. He couldn't eat anything, spoke listlessly, and even his nose was red from blowing it so much.

While enduring a headache, I would lie on the table, memorizing formulas and doing math problems. Often, my head would slump down while I was working, and after a while, I would prop myself up and continue.

By Sunday afternoon, he was completely exhausted and slumped over the table, his eyes barely open.

When Qin Zigui came out after helping her grandparents wash the dishes, she saw Sheng Yan lying on the table as if asleep, his face abnormally red. She frowned, walked over, and touched him; his body was burning hot.

Without saying a word, he immediately snatched the pen from Sheng Yan's hand and whispered, "Sheng Yan, wake up."

Sheng Yan felt he had used all his strength to barely open his eyes. When he did, he saw Qin Zigui and asked in a hoarse voice, still groggy, "What's wrong? What time is it? Shouldn't we be going back to school? I haven't finished my homework yet."

At Shishi Foreign Language School, students return to school every Sunday evening, and then take turns doing quizzes on various subjects during evening self-study. This week, it happens to be math's turn.

Seeing that Sheng Yan was still thinking about the exam at this time, Qin Zigui was both angry and heartbroken. She tried her best to control her emotions and said gently, "No, it's still early. Let's go to the hospital first. After we see a doctor, we can take the exam in the afternoon."

However, upon hearing "there's still plenty of time," Sheng Yan laboriously sat up, picked up his pen again, strained to keep his eyes open, and mumbled, "Given that f(x) is an increasing function..."

"Stop doing it, let's go to the hospital."

Qin Zigui took out his pen again, preparing to pack his things.

Sheng Yan refused and pushed him away, saying, "No need, I already told you I'm fine."

"Sheng Yan!"

Qin Zigui had asked Sheng Yan several times in the past two days, and Sheng Yan had only said that he was fine. But then, out of nowhere, he developed a fever today. A temper that arose from heartache and anxiety welled up uncontrollably, and his tone became unconsciously harsher.

Sheng Yan was already feeling unwell, and he was also feeling frustrated and aggrieved because of Xue Yi and Xu Qingrong's words. When Qin Zigui suddenly yelled at him like that, he immediately broke down and shouted, "Why are you yelling at me! You used to criticize me for not studying, and now that I'm studying, you're yelling at me too. What do you want from me?!"

Qin Zigui didn't realize what "you all" meant. She just felt that Sheng Yan didn't take his health seriously at all. Seeing him sick made her anxious, so she didn't soften her tone to coax him.

She simply calmly reasoned with him: "I won't stop you from studying, but it's not like you, sick and still insisting on studying. I've already said, even if I lose the bet with Huang Shuliang, I'll copy the test paper and write the self-criticism. You don't need to rush it in a day or two..."

"Who said I'm not in a hurry for a day or two! You don't know anything at all!" Sheng Yan thought about how upset he was, and Qin Zigui was still yelling at him. Finally, he couldn't hold back his emotions. Before he could finish speaking, he shouted at him with a thick nasal voice, "I'm just a day or two away. I have to pass this exam, or my mom will make me go abroad!"

When Qin Zigui uttered the words "going abroad," he paused for a moment.

Sheng Yan felt incredibly miserable and couldn't think straight; all his pent-up frustration welled up inside him.

"Do you think I like studying? I don't! I like shooting, but I didn't join the city team, so I don't know what I want to do in the future. But you're different. You can easily get into Tsinghua or Peking University. You'll definitely go to Beijing, but I can't get in. Not only can I not get in, I might not even be able to go to Beijing. I'll have to go abroad alone, and I don't want to go abroad. I've been going to school with you since I was little, and I'm used to it. So I don't want to go to school alone. I want to go to the same university as you. But I'm just not smart enough. I just can't learn it, and I can't get the same grades as you. So what should I do?!"

Because of a cold and fever, Sheng Yan's eyes and nose were red, and his voice was nasal. When he looked up at Qin Zigui yelling at him, he had the illusion that he was about to cry.

Qin Zigui looked down at him, listening to his words, and suddenly felt an indescribable pain in her heart.

Sheng Yan felt sad, wronged, and powerless. After venting his emotions, he felt that it was unreasonable of him to take out his anger on Qin Zigui.

She paused, her eyes stinging, then turned back to look at the test paper, her voice thick with nasal displeasure, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be mean to you, I just..."

He paused slightly, then swallowed hard.

"I just don't want to be that far behind you."