He is a man of his word.

They spent the entire afternoon in the study for five hours.

I only did two things—practice problems and explain them.

In the end, it was only through Ying Qian's constant pleading and coaxing that she got Chen Wenzhi to agree: "Chen Wenzhi! I don't want to write anymore, I really don't want to write anymore—I'm too tired, look, I can't even keep my eyes open!"

No whining! Whining won't work!

Chen Wenzhi stared sternly at the red crosses on the practice test. "Question three, a basic question, and you're still getting it wrong? What are you going to do about preparing for the college entrance exam?"

The girl looked at the question with a pitiful expression, her head practically buried in the ground.

Chen Wenzhi had no choice but to patiently explain it to her again.

She seemed uninterested, and Chen Wenzhi didn't force her to listen. He sighed, his eyes filled with pity and helplessness: "You still need to practice more math problems..."

She kept her head down, working on her calculations, while avoiding what he was saying.

Where are your uncle and aunt?

When Chen Wenzhi mentioned his parents, he was speechless and choked up. "They're on vacation, at a resort abroad."

"Oh, I see..." Ying Qian rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on the question. "So where should we go? Wouldn't it be too boring to stay at home?"

Chen Wenzhi was pleased that she was considering "us" rather than "me".

"I'll take you back to my hometown, okay?"

"Is that okay?" She pointed to herself incredulously. "Me? Go back to your hometown?"

“Yes.” Chen Wenzhi raised his hand and stroked her hair. “Our old home was demolished and we were given a new house. My grandparents are also at home. We don’t need anything. We’ll go back and stay for a couple of days. The air in the countryside is better than here.”

Hearing this, Ying Qian became embarrassed: "Then what identity should I have when I go back? Your classmate? That's too unreasonable..."

Not hearing the answer he wanted, Chen Wenzhi's eyes dimmed as he stared at her, his voice slightly hoarse: "Is it not okay for her to be my girlfriend?"

She hadn't noticed the change in his emotions and said calmly, "Of course not, that would be so awkward, okay? You're a good student, it's just not right for a good student to be in a relationship..."

"So that's what you were thinking?" He tightened his grip, his expression unchanged, but his heart was churning with turmoil, feeling quite aggrieved: "Then please stop treating me like a good student, okay?"

As he spoke, he hugged her from behind, the sound of their clothes rubbing against each other filling the room. His fluffy hair rubbed against her neck a few times, like a mischievous puppy.

Ying Qian fell for his act, nuzzling her cheek against his chin. "Then how are you going to explain this to your family?"

"I don't care," he said. "My grandparents had my uncle when they were sixteen, and we're both seventeen. What's wrong with us dating?"

"Hmm." There was nothing they could do about him.

Actually, Ying Qian was thinking about the future. If something unexpected happened and they didn't end up together, wouldn't it be awkward if they met again?

That's what they say.

On the morning of the third day, there were more than just the two of them at the station.

Ren Yi led Shen Yun into the waiting room, and when he saw Chen Wenzhi, he only raised his chin as a greeting.

Shen Yun: "..."

Ying Qian: "..."

Ying Qian implied that he still had some reservations.

"Do you want me to go back to your hometown to catch fish again? It's the dead of winter, my hands will freeze again—" Ren Yi said impatiently. "I bet your grandpa will be furious when he sees me."

Shen Yun nudged his arm and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Ren Yi glanced at Chen Wenzhi's expression, and only after confirming there was nothing amiss did he say, "The winter before last, I went fishing with him back in his hometown. I secretly used his grandfather's fishing rod. His grandfather had hidden some money in a compartment of his tool bag, and I exposed it all..."

"Huh?" Shen Yun was speechless.

Ren Yi put on an "it doesn't matter" expression, since he would go back every year anyway and annoy that cute little old man every year.

"Then Grandma must really like you, right?"

"Hmm." Ren Yi readily admitted, "Grandma almost accepted me as her own grandson."

Chen Wenzhi listened to him silently, secretly holding Ying Qian's hand in his own.

"Then say we're classmates?" Ying Qian pursed her lips, cautiously.

"Talk about your girlfriend."

"You've already invited Shen Yun and Ren Yi, so why is she still called your girlfriend?"

“It’s different when one person is scolded versus when two people are scolded.” He smiled slightly.

Ying Qian didn't know how to retort to him. Should she call him smart, or shameless?

According to this logic, Ren Yi is just a tool.

On the bus.

Ying Qian thought that Ren Yi and Chen Wenzhi had a really close relationship.

Chen Wenzhi looked at her face, which was red from the cold, and cupped her face in his hands: "Your little face is so cold, are you that cold?"

Her round eyes darted around a few times. "I'm not cold. There's a kind of feeling called 'you think I'm cold.'"

"What were you thinking about just now?" he suddenly asked.

Ying Qian didn't lie to him, "I was wondering why you and Ren Yi are so close. Aren't you two just classmates from junior high and high school?"

Chen Wenzhi glanced at the two people flirting in the back seats and chuckled, "My grandfather used to be in the army. Ren Yi's grandfather and my grandfather were in the same unit. Over time, we became friends since we were little."

"So that's how it is..."

No wonder they were inseparable at school and often saw each other off-campus. They've known each other since childhood, so it's not surprising.

Lost in thought, he drifted off into a daze.

"Ying Qian, focus." He childishly shook Ying Qian's head.

Ying Qian calmed herself down, looked into his eyes, and pleaded, "I'm a little carsick... If you keep doing this, I'll throw up..."

Chen Wenzhi stopped and quietly opened the window.

"Would it be better if it were more breathable?"

He pulled Ying Qian into his arms, lowered his eyes and apologized, "I'm sorry, I really didn't know you got carsick if you didn't tell me."

“I’m not blaming you.” Ying Qian leaned on his shoulder and pointed to the snow outside the window. “I haven’t seen so much snow in a very, very long time.”

“If we stay in S City, we can see each other every year.” He touched the top of her head with his face and spoke in a calm tone. “Or how about we go to A University? It snows heavily in A City every year.”

"Will you go?" she suddenly asked.

“University A is my first choice…” He paused, “However, if you don’t want to go to University A, I can…”

Before he could finish speaking, Ying Qian put her index finger to his lips. "Shh, no, you can't give up your future because of me."

“I never said I was going to give up.” He looked at Ying Qian with a serious expression. “I’m just making plans for our future. I want to be closer to you.”

"Then promise not to change your application because of my application!"

"Yes, I promise."

Ying Qian said, "If you change your college application because of me, I will regret it for the rest of my life."

"Which university do you want to go to?" he asked.

"I won't tell you!" she smiled slyly. "You'll find out when the time comes."

Chen Wenzhi smiled helplessly.

Going forward, his plans will not only be for himself.