Mrs. Gu has been thinking about the issue regarding Gu Qingchi for a long time now. He could not just stay at home all the time. Staying at home all the time couldn’t be good for anyone, so when he mentioned that he wanted to go to school, Mrs. Gu happily called up Mr. Gu and had him arrange it.
Mr. Gu was very supportive of Gu Qingchi’s decision to continue his studies. In this regard, he was rather old-fashioned. He always felt that there was something lacking if one didn’t have a college education.
Gu Qingchi’s report cards from the past only made him feel more strongly about this. His grades had been excellent, so much so that it was almost a pity that he hadn’t continued his education.
However, Gu Qingchi had been in such poor condition at the time. Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu hadn’t had any time to worry about something as trivial as his educational history. Their only request was for him to be healthy and happy.
Now that he’d made the decision to go back to school by himself, Mr. Gu was naturally thrilled. He set aside his work in order to look into this matter for Gu Qingchi. He even put on a pair of glasses that he didn’t usually wear.
Mrs. Gu had chosen them for him. It was a pair of glasses with gold wire frames and a chain. Quite frankly, the glasses were a bit too fancy for his own tastes. However, Mr. Gu still kept it safe all this time. He didn’t buy any other pair of glasses, but he didn’t wear them often either.
“There are a lot of good foreign universities that you can apply to using your high school grades or your college entrance exam scores. Your previous college entrance exam score should be fine. Your grades are also more than good enough.”
Mrs. Gu lightly pushed Mr. Gu. She rolled her eyes at him.
“Chi Chi wants to go to the same university as Xiao Xie.”
Gu Qingchi had taken the college entrance examination back then. His grades were also very good. He could have chosen his pick from any of the top universities in the country. However, too much time had passed since his college entrance examination.
Now, Gu Qingchi wanted to study at a university within the country, but he was a little unsure himself. He explained, a little embarrassed.
“I’ve thought about it already. I’ll study hard for a year and take the college entrance examination next year. I want to give it a try.”
He was a little bashful.
“If it doesn’t work, a foreign university is fine too.”
Mr. Gu put down the documents in his hand and said earnestly, “No, you can give it a try this year.”
“I can’t. College entrance exams are just a few months away. I haven’t cracked open a textbook in a really long time. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to pass the exam next year.”
Mr. Gu shook his head.
“Once you’ve learned something once, it won’t disappear all that easily. Have some faith in yourself. Besides, it’s just one try, so you can treat it like a practice exam. It’s okay if you do badly. We’ll study at home for a year and take it again.”
Mr. Gu spoke lightly. He didn’t have any rigid demands of Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi seemed a little anxious and uneasy. It was only then that he realized his life was about to get back onto the right track. He was no longer just killing time. He was no longer sitting around, wondering about what he’d do today or what he’d do tomorrow, relying on medication and alcohol in order to obtain the slightest bit of satisfaction.
He’d made careful plans for himself, and, now that he was actually going to do it, he started to get scared. He was scared that he had forgotten everything that he’d learned over the years. He was scared that he might not be able to do what he used to do so easily. He was scared that he may have completely derailed, that he might never be able to return to the right track.
He had absolutely no confidence in any of it at all.
Mrs. Gu, on the other hand, wavered a bit. She had originally felt that whatever her good boy wanted was fine. She’d only been thinking about how close that university was to home. He would be able to come home every day and stay right under her eyes. She felt reassured just thinking about it. However, as soon as they mentioned college entrance exams, she started to regret it. College entrance exams were so stressful, and studying for them would be so hard.
“In that case, he’ll have to study, and he’ll only have a few months to do it. What kind of a joke is that? All the other examinees have been studying for three years, and our little boy will have only studied for a few months. Won’t it be tiring? Why don’t we just use his previous grades to apply for a foreign university? He can pick an easy major and study casually. I think those foreign universities are also pretty nice. We can just move overseas when the time comes.”
Mrs. Gu was afraid that Gu Qingchi would get tired. Now, she was starting to feel that those foreign schools were also pretty good.
“I saw that those schools are ranked even higher than that one, and it’s easier to apply to them. We don’t need to tire ourselves out so much. We can just study casually.”
Gu Qingchi shook his head. He looked very uneasy, but he was persistent. He was scared, but he was determined to face it.
“Mom, I really like that school.”
He looked at Mrs. Gu. It was plain to see just how uneasy he was, but he’d still mustered up the courage.
“I want to give it a try.”
⁂
Gu Qingchi decided that he was going to do it, so he threw himself into his studies headfirst. He had a good foundation, so it actually wasn’t all that difficult for him to pick it all back up. He didn’t have to make up. Quite frankly, he could’ve simply brushed up on the questions and moved on. However, he didn’t have very much confidence, so he didn’t dare let himself relax even a bit.
Xie Luyu was very supportive when he found out about it. He stopped inviting the other out. Instead, he bought a textbook and began studying with him. The two of them would hold little mock exams and grade each other’s papers. The one with a higher score would get a star, and each star would allow them to make one request to the other party.
They kept track of the stars using their profile names. They would add a little star to their profile name every time they earned one. They ended up having to edit their profile names every two or three days.
Gu Qingchi’s family also cooperated with his endeavors. They found an empty room for him on the first floor and added a desk. They then added another desk for Xie Luyu. Mrs. Gu even set up a class bell, creating a school-like atmosphere for Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi reviewed in this way, bit by bit, for several months. Xie Luyu quizzed him on various topics even in their casual conversations with each other.
On the day he finished the exam, Gu Qingchi’s tensed nerves finally relaxed. He slept all the way into noon of the following day.
Gu Qingchi may not have had much self-confidence himself, but he actually did really well on the exam.
In the end, Gu Qingchi managed to snag a score of 703. He was smoothly admitted into his school of choice.
On the day that the results were announced, Mrs. Gu could not stop smiling. She kept praising Gu Qingchi, and Gu Xie nodded along with her.
On the surface, Mr. Gu was very calm. He simply nodded when he saw the results and said that they weren’t bad. However, he was actually so happy that he went and made his very first post to his Moments. His post was rather reserved. “My youngest son is headstrong. He insisted on taking the college entrance exam again. He was just taking it for fun, so he scored a little bit lower than last time.” He then attached a picture of the score.
He then received a ton of likes from bigwigs of various fields. Underneath the post, there were many comments and exchanges.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[If my son could score even half of that, I wouldn’t have to send him abroad.]
[Mr. Gu’s kids are smart. ThumbsUp.jpg.]
[Sigh, my kids almost got kicked out of their schools, even after all the money spent on them.]
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⁂
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Gu Qingchi didn’t arrange any special treatment. He was going to live on campus, despite his mother’s worries. Mrs. Gu confirmed several times with him whether he really wasn’t going to live at home. His house was close to the school, just an hour’s drive away. He got to campus very early, first to arrive in fact. Gu Xie put down the luggage and began examining how to make the bed.
Gu Qingchi also huddled over to help, but Gu Xie waved him off.
“Go clean up first. I’ll handle this. I have experience.”
Gu Qingchi went for the broom and started to sweep the floor. Once he’d finished sweeping, he prepared to mop the floor, putting all the chairs away one by one. He was halfway through when the door was pushed open and a young man carrying luggage came in. He was followed by a woman with a suitcase.
The young man looked up and was met with the sight of Gu Qingchi holding a mop. He quickly backed out of the room with a shocked look on his face. He then shut the door. The sound of a woman yelling soon followed.
“My nose! Are you trying to kill your own sister? Also, what’s with the stupid look on your face? Isn’t this your dorm room?”
The door opened again. There was a woman in business attire standing by the door, one hand over her nose, the other on the doorknob. This time, Gu Xie had already moved in front of Gu Qingchi, shielding the other behind him.
Gu Xie’s suit sleeves were rolled up. He was now taking the mop from Gu Qingchi.
The door shut again.
The two walked back in after a while, both standing very neatly and orderly. The one that spoke was the older sister. Her speech was very formal.
“Hello, sir.”
“Hello.”
Gu Xie was purely here in a parental capacity. He wanted to establish a good relationship with his little brother’s classmates and guardians, so he bit the bullet and engaged in a bit of polite conversation. He even planned to help them make their bed. The young man was just about to say something. The older sister, however, immediately shot him down.
“It’s okay. He can make it himself. I can take care of tidying up the room. I’m sorry you had to do all the cleaning yourselves. I can take it from here.”
Gu Xie wasn’t able to refuse. However, there hadn’t been much cleaning to do in the first place.
“Give me your meal card. I’ll top it up for you.”
Gu Qingchi finished setting up his stuff. He didn’t have anything else to do, so he decided to chip in with the cleaning, earning him a bout of praise from his classmate’s older sister.
The young man waited until his sister had left before talking to Gu Qingchi.
“Gu Qingchi, right? I was so shocked when I saw you. That was my sister just now. She’s a total nutcase. She doesn’t know you, but your brother’s her boss. She almost choked when she saw him mopping the floor. She pinched me really hard too.”
The young man was a total chatterbox. Gu Qingchi would respond with one or two words. The young man would then start spouting off several sentences.
He didn’t stop talking even when Gu Xie returned. In fact, he started chatting up Gu Xie as well.
Gu Xie had originally been worried that Gu Qingchi wouldn’t be able to get along well with his classmates. Gu Qingchi was rather famous now. It would be practically impossible to keep a low profile, especially with a face like his. He was afraid that Gu Qingchi wouldn’t be able to blend in. Now, however, he was starting to feel somewhat relieved.
There was pretty much nothing left to do. Gu Xie quickly briefed Gu Qingchi.
“I’ve topped up your meal card. If you lose it, just go to the student center and get it replaced.”
Gu Xie drew a little mark on the map as he spoke.
“I’ve also paid the electricity and internet bills. I paid four years worth. Remember to wear sunscreen during your military training. Don’t get sunburned. I bought you a case of bottled water. I don’t think there’s a refrigerator here. I left a few slices of cake for you, so make sure to eat it soon. Share it with your roommates.”
“I bought an apartment in the neighborhood next to the school. It has a refrigerator and an air conditioner. There’s food in the refrigerator. The food will be restocked regularly.”
The young man’s face was full of shock and envy by the time he left.
“I also want to live off campus, but, unfortunately for me, the city’s housing prices don’t allow me to be so presumptuous, and neither does my sister’s fist.”
It seemed that having a celebrity for a roommate was less shocking than the housing prices in the city.
Gu Qingchi’s enrollment sparked an explosion on the school forum, which had been silent for some time. Gu Qingchi hadn’t disguised himself during move in, so plenty of people recognized him and took photos of him. He’s long since been discovered, and posts were now beginning to pop up once every few minutes.
There was no military training for the first two days, so, during those two days, people kept coming to his dormitory, claiming to be looking for someone. They said that they were looking for someone, but their eyes kept drifting towards Gu Qingchi. There were even people taking photos of him as he walked.
Gu Qingchi had already prepared for this, so he wasn’t too offended.
Gu Qingchi even ended up trending for several days.
[Gu Qingchi’s Enrollment]
[X University’s Campus Crush Is Here]
[Gu Qingchi Campus Crush]
Not only were the fans shocked, but netizens were also shocked.
[My god. Shouldn’t he have graduated from high school ages ago? He couldn’t have just started college this year.]
[No idea. I still haven’t made heads or tails of the gossip from back then.]
Someone then discovered that Gu Qingchi had actually taken the entrance exam twice.
[So what does this mean? He was admitted twice into the school that I could only dream about since kindergarten? He even failed to report the first time around?]
[My sister is in her final year of high school, and she has not been able to get motivated to do anything. Now, it’s as if she’s been struck with enthusiasm. She keeps talking about wanting to go to the same school as Chi Chi.]
[Unlike your sister, I’m realistic. It’s obvious that I’m not going to get into the same school even if I work myself to the bone.]
[I’m so lucky to be in the same class as Gu Qingchi. I’m going to be able to see that beautiful face every day.]
[OP must be rich as hell. My high school’s the best in my city, and we still only managed to get two admits this year … ]
In the end, this event even caused netizens to take a closer look at the academic qualifications of various figures in the entertainment industry. Most of them had graduated from film school. Xie Luyu turned out to be an outlier. He’d graduated from the finance department of an ivy league school.
[Oh my god. I’ve been a fan of his for so many years, yet I never knew he had such a high degree of education.]
[It just means that he hasn’t used this to market himself before. He’s really just that impressive.]
[I was wrong. I used to think that Xie Luyu wasn’t good enough for Gu Qingchi. In my mind, Xie Luyu was this high school drop out that had ventured into the entertainment industry and ended up making it. I don’t know why myself. Maybe it’s because he’s so down-to-earth … ]
[How are y’all coming up with this stuff? Xie Luyu’s also from a very good background. He’s also from a wealthy family. He doesn’t interact much with his family is all. I read a gossip column that said he had a falling out with his family a long time ago. However, he can be considered wealthy even without them.]
Netizens’ discussions were, at the end of the day, just discussion. In any case, Gu Qingchi’s campus life had just begun.
It was brand new, full of hope and the unknown.
⁂
“Okay, that’s all for this lesson.”
The teacher had just announced the end of class when the classroom suddenly became lively. The crowd began flowing, and students walked out in twos and threes.
Gu Qingchi sat in his seat and stretched his waist. He didn’t pack up his things and leave right away.
He was now a second year student. He had been very nervous when he first started school. He was afraid that he would stick out. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to adapt. In reality, he had only garnered some attention at the beginning. Students often came by the lecture hall to see him. Sometimes, teachers would pay attention to him as well.
However, once this initial period had passed, everyone got used to it, and he lived like any other student, peacefully and beautifully.
Once his roommate finished gathering his things, he passed by and greeted Gu Qingchi.
“Xiao Chi, are you heading back to the dorm this weekend? If you are, I can bring back some dinner for you. I’m heading to the dining hall now. There’s a new roast duck restaurant on the second floor of the third dining hall. The flavor’s not bad.”
Gu Qingchi’s home was close to campus. He usually lived on campus during weekdays and went home on weekends. Occasionally, he would stay on campus during the weekends too. He had a good relationship with his roommates. Gu Xie had paid four years worth of electricity and internet bills, and he hadn’t asked the others to chip in at all. Gu Qingchi’s roommates all felt kind of bad, so they often brought meals for Gu Qingchi.
He first thanked his roommate and then declined.
“No thanks. I’m going to be heading home today.”
“It must be nice to be so close to home. I’ll go eat first then.”
His roommate left after speaking. This was the last class of the afternoon. The students were all rushing off for dinner. The classroom was soon void of any people.
The weather was cool. The trees were lush and verdant. The windows were open, and the sound of students could be heard from outside.
Everything was back on track.
Gu Qingchi came to realize this fact very clearly at this moment. His heart felt as full and vibrant as the trees outside the window.
Gu Qingchi was in a good mood. He sat in the classroom for a while, packing his things to head home. His phone then pinged. He looked down and found that it was a message from Xie Luyu.
Xie Luyu still had two little stars in his profile name. Gu Qingchi still had one.
[Have you got class tonight? I’d like to cash in one of my stars to go out for barbecue with you.]
Gu Qingchi was a little puzzled. Xie Luyu had picked up a new role and had already entered the crew.
[Aren’t you in the middle of filming?]
Xie Luyu replied quickly.
[The crew’s going out for dinner tonight, so there’s no filming right now. That’s not important. I’ve got to deal with something really quick, so wait for me for just a few minutes.]
After a while, Xie Luyu sent another message to Gu Qingchi. He sounded very aggrieved.
[Are you in the fourth teaching building? Which classroom are you in? Can you come pick me up? I’ve been detained by the security guard. He said that I was acting suspicious. I told him that I was here for my boyfriend, but he didn’t even listen to my explanation.]
Gu Qingchi replied with a confused kitty meme.
He then followed up with one word.
[Wait.]
He quickly packed up his books and rushed downstairs, feeling amused but also a little puzzled. Most people were able to get on campus without trouble, so why would they detain Xie Luyu …
Once he got downstairs, he figured out why.
Xie Luyu squatted in the security room, unbelievably aggrieved. He was wearing both a hat and a mask. On top of all that, he was also wearing sunglasses. In front of the security desk, there was a security guard sitting there, watching him. He seemed to be getting up there in age. He held an old-fashioned mug in his hands and was wearing glasses. He also had a newspaper in front of him and was saying something.
“Celebrity? I don’t understand. In any case, you need to be clear about what you are here for. Otherwise, I can’t let you go. Just two days ago, a thief came by and stole one of the student’s belongings. I have to be responsible for the students — ”
Xie Luyu straightened up when he saw Gu Qingchi.
“See? Here’s my boyfriend. Now do you believe me?”
The security guard didn’t listen to him.
“Is he someone you know?”
“Mn. I know him. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
In comparison to Xie Luyu, Gu Qingchi was much more student-like.
The security guard pushed up his glasses, clearly much more good-natured towards Gu Qingchi.
“I’ll need to see your student identification card.”
Gu Qingchi passed the student identification card under the window of the security desk, and the security guard accepted it and took a look. He also took a look at Xie Luyu as he returned the card.
“You should be careful out there. There are a ton of scammers out there nowadays. Students like you are easy to deceive because you guys will believe anything and fall for anything. Make sure not to go out at night with just anybody and keep your valuables safe.”
The security guard was very earnest for fear that Gu Qingchi would go astray.
Gu Qingchi listened carefully, nodding his head. Once the security guard finished speaking, he smiled.
“My parents know about him, so it’s okay. He’s just dressed a little strangely.”
In the end, he thanked him once more.
It was then that the security guard finally relaxed. He took a sip of his tea and waved his hands vigorously.
“It should be fine since your parents know about it. In that case, you guys can go. It’s getting dark, so pay attention on the way back.”
Xie Luyu may have been detained, but he still managed to have a pretty good conversation with the security guard. It didn’t take long for him to learn that the security guard had a dear daughter and granddaughter in his family. He also had a pet myna that only learned swear words and nothing else. Others had advised him to get this bad habit fixed by performing an operation on its tongue, but the security guard couldn’t bring himself to do it. Since the security guard was also in charge of cooking in his family, they exchanged cooking tips with each other. Xie Luyu said goodbye before leaving.
“See you, old man! Make sure to try the braised pork ribs I told you about some other day. I guarantee it’ll be better than your previous recipe.”
He then picked up the pace to catch up with Gu Qingchi. He told Gu Qingchi about all the fun stuff that had happened to him over the past couple of days, affectionately leaning closer and closer to the other as he walked. He was also wearing a lot of layers, so he came off like a big fluffy dog.
“Gosh, that uncle’s super patriotic. He’d definitely be able to get full marks in an ideology class. He also sang the national anthem with me, and he sang it really passionately.”
Gu Qingchi couldn’t help laughing when he heard this. Once he stopped, he asked Xie Luyu why he had come.
“It would have taken the fastest high-speed rail until early the next morning to arrive, but weren’t you still filming at noon?”
“I took a plane. I’m flexible like that. I even had to take a layover to get here.”
Xie Luyu seemed very proud, his desire for praise practically written all over his face.
“It only took me five hours. I’ve also asked for leave for tomorrow. My part’s been pushed back, so I’ll be able to have barbecue with you tonight and attend your appointment tomorrow.”
Xie Luyu remembered when all of Gu Qingchi’s doctor’s appointments were. In fact, it may be more accurate to say that he rushed back for the sake of this appointment.
“In that case, that’ll cost you two stars, and you’ll be all out.”
Xie Luyu couldn’t believe what he’d heard. It took him a long time before he sadly hummed in response. If he had ears, they would have drooped by now.
Gu Qingchi sent a message to his family as he walked, ignoring the clingy dog who was still mumbling about his stars.
In the previous message, Mrs. Gu was asking Gu Qingchi if he was coming home for dinner.
[Mom, I’m going out for barbecue tonight. I won’t be heading back.]
He was going to send another message after this one, but Xie Luyu then pounced on him. He was very warm, like a human-sized hand warmer.
It took a few minutes for Mrs. Gu to see the message. Gu Qingchi sometimes went out for dinner with his classmates on the weekends. If he couldn’t make it back home, he would stay at the apartment near the school. However, he would always come back home by the second day.
[In that case, Mom will go shopping with Aunt Li. Chi Chi, take care of yourself. I’ve left some sweets in the apartment, but don’t eat too much.]
He’s healing 😭😭😭❤❤❤ this is wholesome ❤
Thanks for the chapter ❤
Thanks for the update 🫶🏼
Thank you for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter! He’s healing, but also I think the damage caused by the system to Chi Chi and his family is being gradually reset, in a way, back to what should have been…. The damage can’t be erased, but I suspect the system’s disappearance is making it easier for him to adjust back to the person he should have been in the alternate timeline.
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
This chapter healed my soul <333 where to get an attentive rich boyfriend that can fly on plane for the sake of your doctor’s appointment :’DDD
I caught up 😭
Thank you for translating such an amazing novel 😍
Thanks for the update 😘
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(> ਊ <)♡
Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)