Originally, they had whispered to each other that Lin Jianxue was so young yet she was so close to such an unidentified man, and that their relationship was probably unclear and even a little shameful.

But now with the living example of Zhang Ruichen in front of them, when they saw Lin Jianxue being picked up and dropped off by someone, they suddenly felt that this girl had foresight and knew how to protect herself.

It is always safer to have a reliable man to protect you than to go it alone.

For a moment, everyone looked at Lin Jianxue with a bit of understanding and recognition.

*

After finishing the morning classes, Lin Jianxue took advantage of the lunch break to go to the Academic Affairs Office.

She had inquired before and found out that the school had a backlog of old high school textbooks and review materials.

She successfully bought a complete set of high school textbooks for the first and second grades, as well as some mimeographed test papers and exercise books, from Director Wang Jianjun of the Academic Affairs Office.

Holding the heavy books, Lin Jianxue had a plan in mind.

*

In the evening, in the Fu family's adobe house, a dim kerosene lamp flickered, illuminating the family's simple dinner.

After dinner, Lin Jianxue brought Fu Qingqing to her side.

"Qingqing, these are for you." She spread out the books and test papers she had bought during the day one by one on the old wooden table in front of Fu Qingqing.

The aroma of fresh ink filled the air.

Fu Qingqing's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at the textbooks that were both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

"Sister Xiaoxue, this is..."

"High school textbooks for Grade 1 and 2, as well as exams," Lin Jianxue said gently. "Start with Grade 1. After you finish a chapter, take the corresponding exam. When you're done, give it to me and I'll mark it for you."

Fu Qingqing blinked her eyes and asked uncertainly, "Do you still need to... review it?"

Lin Jianxue looked at her with a smile in her eyes, but her voice was a little more serious: "Of course. Qingqing, if your grades are good enough, I will find a way to get you into Zhenhai High School."

She paused and asked, "Do you want to study?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Qingqing was stunned at first, and then her clear eyes were instantly filled with great surprise and disbelief.

Her little mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but she was too excited to make a sound.

After a moment, she suddenly came back to her senses and nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, her voice trembling with excitement: "Yes! Sister Xiaoxue! I want to study! I dream about it!"

When she came to Kyoto, she was the little princess of the Fu family and attended the best school. But ever since she left home and came to this remote countryside, studying became a luxury for her.

Lin Jianxue reached out and gently stroked her soft hair. Her tone was gentle but tinged with seriousness. "Qingqing, you have to understand that with your current status, if you want to walk into that school and sit in a classroom with dignity, you will need to put in thousands or even thousands of times more effort than others."

“Only when you are so outstanding that no one can ignore your existence, and when you are so outstanding that the school cannot but want you, can you break the discrimination and prejudice against your identity and make them willingly open the door for you.”

"You have to work very, very hard before I can have enough strength and reason to help you get this opportunity. Do you understand?"

Fu Qingqing's little face flushed red with excitement. She nodded vigorously and solemnly, with an unprecedented firmness flashing in her black and white eyes.

"I understand, Sister Xiaoxue!" Her voice was clear and loud. "I will definitely study hard! I will definitely not let you down!"

Lin Jianxue smiled with relief: "Tai, go read a book. If you don't understand something, you can always ask me."

"Yes!" Fu Qingqing picked up a brand new Chinese textbook, and walked carefully to the kerosene lamp as if she was holding a rare treasure, and couldn't wait to open the first page.

Lin Jianxue looked at her focused profile, and the smile on the corner of her lips deepened.

She turned her head and met Fu Zhawei's deep black eyes.

He had cleared the dishes without her knowing when, and was now standing quietly not far behind her, gazing at her intently and deeply.

Being looked at by him like this, Lin Jianxue's heart skipped a beat for unknown reason.

She gathered herself, met his gaze, and spoke in a clear voice, "Fu Zhewei, if you have time, you should read a book too."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zhawei frowned slightly.

“Why should I read?”

His voice was low, with a hint of confusion and a hint of obvious resistance.

Lin Jianxue looked at him, her tone calm and unwavering: "What if the college entrance examination is resumed in the future?"

"You can't go to the exam completely clueless and not know anything, right?"

Fu Zhawei's eyes dimmed, like a sinking ancient pond.

"With my status, I wouldn't be allowed to take the college entrance exam even if it were reinstated."

Lin Jianxue doesn't think so.

She shook her head slightly: "As long as your achievements are high enough and dazzling enough that people can't ignore them."

"Many seemingly ironclad situations may turn around, and an exception may be made for you, and you may be given a break."

She has seen too many examples of people who relied on their own strength to go against the tide of the times and ultimately change their destiny.

Especially the coming era full of change and hope.

Fu Zhewei was silent for a moment, his deep eyes staring at the flickering kerosene lamp, as if trying to digest the profound meaning of her words.

Then, he changed his excuse, his tone showing obvious fatigue: "I worked in the production team during the day and I'm exhausted."

"When I come back home at night, I really don't have the energy to read those boring textbooks."

"I don't want to see it."

He refused bluntly, as if saying even one more word would be superfluous.

When Lin Jianxue heard this, she curled her lips almost imperceptibly and said to herself in her heart.

She just knew it.

This guy is a poor student who doesn't like studying.

It's simply because you don't want to read that you come up with so many high-sounding excuses.

In the next year, 1977, the college entrance examination will be officially resumed.

She herself was determined to participate, as this was an important step in her rebirth and changing the fate of herself and her family.

She also hoped that Fu Qingqing and Fu Zhawei in front of her could walk into the examination room with her with dignity.

But, Fu Zhewei, this absolute academic scumbag...

Lin Jianxue had a slight headache.

She really couldn't understand how this man who was so lazy in studying could have made his business flourish in the ever-changing Hong Kong city and accumulated such a huge family fortune in his previous life.

Is it true that the old saying "practice makes perfect" is true? Are studying and doing business really two completely different things?

She withdrew her confused thoughts and her gaze fell back on Fu Zhawei's handsome yet somewhat stubborn face.

"Then, what do you want in exchange for reading?" Lin Jianxue took a deep breath, patiently asked in an almost coaxing tone.