Chapter 21: Seaside

Bai He and Qi Lang were walking on the neon-lit street. Bai He lowered her head and browsed the class group. Qi Lang grabbed her sleeve from time to time and pulled her towards him to prevent her from bumping into people or lampposts.

The class group chat was buzzing with discussion about the newly released scores. Everyone did well, and in the key classes, quite a few scored over 600...

Naturally, at times like this, some are happy while others are sad.

Students who did well in the exam, or who performed to the satisfaction of themselves and their parents, all popped up in the group, asking each other about their scores.

Those who felt that they did not do well in the exam have all silently fallen silent.

Thousands of people are competing to cross a single-plank bridge. For students from ordinary families like Bai He, the college entrance examination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change their destiny.

A classmate in the group heard the news from somewhere and said, "This year's top scorer in liberal arts is in our class."

"No doubt about it, it must be Qi Lang."

"@7, what did Master 7 score?"

Everyone was curious about Qi Lang's score. If the top scorer in liberal arts was really in the class, it would definitely be Qi Lang.

Throughout the liberal arts grade, Qi Lang consistently ranked top 1, and was several dozen points ahead of the second place.

He wanted to be the runner-up, and no one dared to be the first.

Bai He heard his phone ringing non-stop, but this guy didn't even look at it, and even got annoyed and logged off directly.

He didn't bother to deal with messages he didn't want to reply to, as he was playing King of Glory and his hands were busy.

Bai He was so immersed in the joy of her own score that she forgot to ask him about his score.

In fact, there is no need to ask, this guy has always performed steadily and has never made any mistakes.

But she was still curious about the top scorer in liberal arts, so she asked, "7, what was your score?"

"Brother Qi Lang." He corrected, "You are disrespectful."

"Okay, Brother Qi Lang, how many points did you get?"

"Want to know?" He raised his beautiful eyes and glanced at her.

"Um."

"Squeal like a pig and I'll tell you."

“…”

"Not childish!"

He's already grown up, but he still plays kindergarten games with her.

"Your piggy-like meow is so cute. I want to hear it."

"No! I'm grown up!"

He looked at her small breasts nonchalantly: "Not very big."

“…”

The little girl's face flushed red because of him, and she quickened her pace angrily. Qi Lang trotted over to catch up, hooked his elbow around her neck from behind, and walked forward while playing a game with her in his circle: "I'm busy, lead the way."

Many passers-by, especially young ladies, looked at this handsome boy. They looked at him again and again, and even turned back to look at him.

He didn't even realize how much of a draw he was, which made Bai He feel embarrassed and ashamed.

It has been like this since childhood. So many girls are eager to be teased by him, but he just likes to grab Bai He and make fun of her, making her little face burn like an iron, and that makes him happy.

"Qi Lang! Let me go!"

"Don't you want to know my score?"

"You can say it or not."

“Not very good.”

"How much is that?"

"706."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai He grabbed his arm and screamed, "Oh my God! You're over 700!"

You should know that the top scorer in liberal arts in the previous session, who was in experimental school, had a total score of only over 670.

There are very few people who can get above 700 in liberal arts. It has been so many years, and it seems that Qi Lang is the only one in No. 1 Middle School.

"Qi Lang, you must be the top scorer in liberal arts!!!" Bai He excitedly shook his arm vigorously, "Great!"

"So happy?"

"Of course! You're the top scorer! My friend is the top scorer in liberal arts!" She couldn't wait to announce this proud news to the whole world. "I'm so proud."

"That's enough." She was so overwhelmed by his gaming skills.

"Qi Lang, you got such a good score, you..."

Bai He wanted to ask him which school he applied to, but she got a little scared halfway through the question, afraid of getting disappointing news, and even more afraid that he would say the word "study abroad".

Forget it, forget it, I won’t ask.

Bury your head in the sand like an ostrich, and be with him for one day at a time.

"What?" he asked, seeing that she was halfway through her words.

"Qi Lang... Can 635 get into HKU?"

"You want to go to HKU?"

"No, no, I'm just asking." Bai He was afraid that he might see through his thoughts, so he quickly said, "Learn more about the current situation of key universities."

"Last year, the cut-off score for arts at HKU was 623. You scored more than ten points higher than last year, so it shouldn't be a big problem. But it depends on the major. Some majors have very high cut-offs, and some even don't accept students from mainland China."

"It's only over ten points, which means it's still very close." Bai He asked again, "Is the tuition high?"

"It's not bad to have a scholarship. The living expenses may be higher than in the mainland, but it's not a big problem. If you need money for food or clothes, you can always come to me."

"I know you're rich. Don't worry, I won't be polite to you."

Although Bai He said this, she never borrowed money from Qi Lang. Anyone could...but not Qi Lang.

"By the way, how's your little henchman?"

"Ah!" Bai He nudged him. "I was so busy talking to you that I forgot to ask him."

"You forgot it yourself, and you blame me?"

"It's all your fault."

"Okay, blame me."

Bai He quickly took out his phone and called Yan Yi, but the voice on the other end was a cold female voice from the system.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off."

"His phone is turned off." Bai He looked at Qi Lang blankly, "Maybe he did poorly on the test."

"Impossible." Qi Lang said firmly, "That kid is very good at pretending. His level has always been online."

"What level? His grades have always been up and down, and big drops are common."

Bai He was a little worried about Yan Yi, so he lowered his head and sent him a message -

Lily: "Where is it? Come back as soon as you see me!"

After making several more calls and still no answer, Bai He became really worried and rushed towards her parents' food stall, wondering if he was too busy in the store to pay attention to his phone.

He hurried into the crowded food stall, and Tang Xin came out to greet him: "The results are out? How are you? Mom didn't even dare to call you."

"Mom, is Yan Yi here?"

"Yan Yi didn't come. How are your scores?"

Bai Xincheng caught sight of Bai He and quickly emerged from the kitchen, wiping his sweaty forehead with a towel. "Daughter, did you pass the exam?"

"The scores are out, 365. Didn't you really not see the translation?" she said anxiously.

"ah?!"

"ah!!!"

Tang Xin looked like she was crying and hugged Bai Xincheng: "I thought Lily would do terribly on the test. After all, her dad isn't very smart either. I didn't expect her to do so badly."

Bai Xincheng patted his wife's shoulder and said, "There's nothing we can do. Our daughter has an average IQ. You can't expect her to be like Qi Lang."

"I didn't expect her to be like Xiaolang. It's just... she worked so hard every day, studying late into the night, and only managed to get a 300 on the test. It's like her brain isn't working properly."

Tang Xin was about to cry, "I really want to inherit your food stall in the future?"

"Then I'll make some money quickly and save more for her."

Bai He: ...

She was so anxious that she couldn't even speak straight, and quickly said, "No, I said it wrong, it's not 365!"

Qi Lang smiled and said, "Uncle and aunt, Xiao Baihe scored 635, which means she can get into the key line."

"real?"

"certainly."

After hearing this, Tang Xin and Bai Xincheng felt like they had ascended from hell to heaven. They were so happy that they were even a little angry. Tang Xin walked over and poked Bai He's head, with his hands on his hips: "You kid, how come you can't even speak!"

"I'm just tongue-tied." Bai He saw how happy they were. They had said on the phone before that it didn't matter what score they got in the exam, because they were both their parents' beloved daughters.

No way!

The treatment is still determined by the score.

"Great, my daughter has made it! She's going to college!" Bai Xincheng boasted to the guests in the room, "All drinks are free today. It's my treat. My daughter got into college! Hahaha, she scored 635!"

There was a cheer in the food stall, and everyone congratulated Bai Xincheng, saying that he had finally made it and his daughter had a promising future.

"There is still a long way to go, we need to keep up the good work." Bai Xincheng was grinning so hard that his mouth was about to break.

Tang Xin was of course happy too, but seeing Bai He's hurried look, he asked, "What do you want Yan Yi for?"

"His phone is turned off. I'm worried that he didn't do well in the exam and is going to disappear somewhere."

"Oh, it's true." Tang Xin called Yan Yi and received the same reminder that his phone was turned off. "That kid has always been worried since he was young. I hope he really didn't do well in the exam."

An aunt at the next table overheard them talking, came over with her bowl in hand, and interrupted, "Just last year, the kid from the old Qin family who sells roast meat across the street didn't do well on the college entrance exam, and he got so obsessed with it that he couldn't get over it. His mom also scolded him a little too harshly, so he disappeared all night, and his body was only found in the sea the next day. His parents were devastated. Just imagine... kids these days really can't handle it, and many of them are mentally unhealthy!"

These words scared Tang Xin and Bai He out of their wits, especially Bai He. If Qi Lang hadn't been quick to support her, she would have fallen to the ground.

"Not really." Qi Lang said lightly, "Really not. Yan Yi is not that kind of person."

"You can't gamble on this." Tang Xin was terrified. "The college entrance exam is such an important thing... and our Ah Yi works so hard. If he doesn't do well and becomes upset, how are we going to explain it to his dad?"

"I...I'll go find him!" Bai He said, turned around and ran out of the food stall.

Tang Xin chased out, and Bai Xincheng followed him out, saying, "Let's go find them together."

"Mom and Dad, you guys should just stay in the store. What if Yi comes back later? Besides, there are so many customers, we can't just leave him here."

"Okay, then you and Qi Lang can go look for it together."

Bai He and Qi Lang went back home. Qi Lang pushed out his Harley motorcycle that had not been used for a long time and drove Bai He straight to the coastal highway.

If Yan Yi hadn't gone home, he might be alone at the beach.

Thinking of what his aunt said about the body found on the beach last year, Bai He was so scared that he almost lost his mind.

"Don't worry too much, that kid won't do that."

"I know, I know he won't, but..."

This kind of thing is like getting a rabies vaccine after being bitten by a dog. Generally, there will be no problem, but if something goes wrong, it can be a matter of life and death.

You can't gamble at all.

Qi Lang stepped on the accelerator all the way and searched along the coastline. Bai He was responsible for keeping his eyes wide open, watching the passers-by walking on the beach, searching for Yan Yi's figure.

After a while, I really saw him.

He sat alone by the sea, enjoying the breeze.

He wore a short-sleeved shirt with black pants, his short hair was ruffled by the wind, his facial features were as delicate as an ink painting, his expression was also indifferent, and the flickering fishing lights on the coastline were his backdrop.

“Yan Yi!!!”

Bai He jumped out of the car, "What are you doing here?"

Hearing the girl's anxious cry, Yan Yi turned around to look at her, his dark eyes covered with a thin layer of frost on a cold night.

He threw out a pebble in his hand.

Bai He rushed to his side and grabbed his short sleeve, as if afraid that he would run away.

"I'm in a bad mood, so I came here for a walk." Yan Yi looked at her blankly, then at Qi Lang who was leaning against his motorcycle. "What's wrong?"

"Your phone is turned off!"

Yan Yi took out his phone and took a look at it, then said calmly, "It really is."

“…”

Hearing his calm tone, Bai He's emotions were like a dam that had been opened. She couldn't contain them. Tears rolled down her cheeks like beans, and she sobbed uncontrollably. "What are you doing? You...you worried me to death! What are you doing alone at the beach? You didn't even answer the phone. It's scary..."

Seeing her crying, Yan Yi panicked and quickly leaned over to comfort her, wiping her tears with the back of his hand: "My phone really is out of battery. I just wanted to come to the beach to enjoy the breeze and be quiet. I won't do that. You know I..."

Bai He hugged his thin waist and held him tightly with all her strength.

As if she was about to lose him in the next second: "If something really happens to you, how am I going to explain it to Uncle Yan? You...you must be fine! Promise me!"

Yan Yi slowly and slowly pulled her into his arms, holding her with the muscles of his arms, his fingertips weaving into her hair. "Bai He, I won't do anything stupid, don't worry."

The girl's sobs gradually subsided and calmed down, but she didn't let him go.

Her attachment and dependence on him reached its peak at this moment.

She herself didn't realize how much she relied on translation.

"If I don't do well on the test, then I won't do well on the test. What's the big deal?"

She stroked the spiky hair on the back of Yan Yi's head like she was stroking a puppy's fur. "I can support you in the future. I will never let you go hungry."

"Bai He, am I important to you? Apart from my parents, I am more important than anyone else."

"What nonsense are you talking about, of course!" she said without hesitation.

Yan Yi hugged her tightly, raised his black eyes, and looked at Qi Lang silently.

Qi Lang put one hand in his pocket, leaned against the side of the car, and looked at him with a frown.

He understood the silent threat in Yan Yi's eyes.

That's the male beast asserting his sovereignty.

…

The author has something to say:

How can we fight for it, oh my god.

200 red envelopes!