711! He scored a 711!
Xie Ruan’s mind was swirling; it felt like a dream.
Was the score really that high? Or had he just imagined it in his eagerness for a good result? He instinctively reached out to pinch his leg, but Bo Jin intercepted his hand halfway.
“Sweetheart, where are you reaching?” Bo Jin held his hand and glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling window with a smirk. “In broad daylight? Not quite appropriate.”
His voice was low, almost whispering into Xie Ruan’s ear. The warmth of his breath against his ear made him shiver, abruptly pulling him out of his daze.
“I wasn’t…” Xie Ruan reflexively started to object, but Bo Jin pressed a finger to his lips.
“Shhh.”
Bo Jin chuckled, giving his cheek a gentle pinch, intending to assure him that this wasn’t a dream. But he couldn’t bring himself to be too rough, so he abandoned the idea.
Completely captivated.
He let out a soft laugh and leaned down, pressing a tender kiss on Xie Ruan’s lips, and Xie Ruan took it in gladly.
Bo Jin kissed him gently and thoroughly, grazing every sensitive spot from his upper palate to his pointed canines, leaving Xie Ruan so comfortable that he almost moaned, ending with a light nip on his lower lip as he pulled away.
“It’s real, not a dream.” Seeing Xie Ruan’s dazed expression, Bo Jin felt a tender ache in his heart, unsure how to love him enough. He tilted the computer screen so it was in Xie Ruan’s line of sight.
“Math: 146, Chinese: 141, English: 130, Science Composite: 294. Total score: 711.”
The warm sensation on his lips, with a slight sting, lingered as Bo Jin’s mark on him, grounding him in reality.
Xie Ruan’s eyes gradually lit up.
“Bo Jin!” He grabbed Bo Jin’s arm, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face. “I scored 711!”
With this score, he could choose any university in the country and never worry about being separated from Bo Jin.
In that moment, all the hard work faded away, leaving only the joy of realizing his dream.
Two years of effort? Nothing! Give him another challenge; he’d go for it!
“Very impressive,” Bo Jin praised him without reservation, rubbing the top of his head. “Not a single missed mark. You performed exceptionally well.” So well, in fact, that it made him proud, wanting to declare to everyone that this was the person he loved.
“What do you want as a reward?”
A reward? Xie Ruan’s heart was pounding, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He shook his head—711 was the best reward he could imagine; what more could he want?
“I…” He opened his mouth to say something but was startled by a loud voice from the computer.
“Whoa! Little Xie, what did you score?!” He Mingjie’s shocked voice came through the speakers. “711?! Did I hear that right?”
Sun Fuan’s phone call had been so surprising that Xie Ruan had completely forgotten the group call was still active.
Luckily, Bo Jin had remembered and kept his volume down. He Mingjie and the others only heard the last part.
“I’m sure I heard it right too!” Sun Haoxiang was already rubbing his hands together in excitement before Xie Ruan could respond. “Little Xie, way to make me proud! 711! Even if I doubled my score, it wouldn’t be that high!”
“Make you proud?” Bo Jin scoffed, tapping the mic with annoyance. “What does it have to do with you? Move aside.”
“Geez Dog Bo, even this you have to make a fuss about?” Sun Haoxiang rolled his eyes, then turned back to Xie Ruan, his tone several notches higher. “Congrats, Little Xie!”
Then, as if a thought struck him, he asked excitedly, “With that score, could you be the top scorer for the city or even the province?”
“No.” His friends’ chatter had calmed Xie Ruan down a bit, though he was still smiling uncontrollably. “Sun Fuan just called to tell me. First in my grade, but only fifth in the city.”
He felt a bit embarrassed saying it—like he was showing off.
Fortunately, Sun Haoxiang didn’t dwell on that part. “Old Sun called personally? That’s the treatment you get for being grade number one?”
“No,” He Mingjie chuckled, “it’s because he’s Sun Fuan’s unacknowledged favorite.” Adjusting his computer volume and refreshing the webpage, he said casually, “Congrats, Xie Ruan, you—whoa!”
He shot up from his chair, the clatter of it hitting the floor.
“Old He?” Sun Haoxiang asked, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“Sun Fuan,” He Mingjie stammered before bursting into laughter, “Sun Fuan, hahaha! I scored 657!”
Though it wasn’t enough for the country’s top universities, it was enough to get him into a good one—far beyond his expectations.
“Congrats, congrats.”
Sun Haoxiang paused, then quickly offered his congratulations. He was the type to be genuinely happy for his friends, never feeling envy over their higher scores.
“No big deal.”
“Oh, you’re really basking in it now, aren’t you?”
As they bantered, Xie Ruan noticed that Pan Yu hadn’t said anything for a while and felt a twinge of concern.
By now, the peak of network traffic had passed, so Pan Yu’s score should have been available. But if he wasn’t speaking, then…
Hesitating, Xie Ruan decided to ask, “Hey, Pan Yu, how’s it looking on your end?”
When he spoke, the others seemed to realize something as well, all falling silent. The air grew tense.
He Mingjie gave an awkward laugh and tried to console him, albeit unconvincingly: “Didn’t you estimate your score pretty well before? Even if it’s a bit off, it shouldn’t be too bad…”
Before he could finish, Sun Haoxiang cut him off sharply. “Hey, Ole He!”
Sun Haoxiang was exasperated with He Mingjie—if you don’t know what to say, just keep quiet! Among their group, Sun Haoxiang was the one with the highest emotional intelligence. He was about to say something encouraging when he heard a small chuckle.
He froze.
Pan Yu’s voice, laced with a hint of a smile, came through the receiver. “I scored one point less than Xie Ruan.”
One point less than Xie Ruan? Sun Haoxiang’s head spun as he did a quick calculation on his fingers, then exclaimed, “Whoa, 710!”
Pan Yu put down his mouse, as if he’d just laid down a heavy burden. “Yeah, 710.”
He could go to the same school as Bo Jin and Xie Ruan now.
Though he’d been fairly confident in himself, he hadn’t been able to fully relax until the results were out. But now he could finally let go of his anxiety and just wait at home for the acceptance letter.
“Way to go, Old Pan!”
“Yeah, awesome! The group’s second shining star!”
In the flurry of congratulations, He Mingjie had a particularly unique take. “Come to think of it, the feng shui in our group must be pretty great. Brother Bo got a direct admission, Little Xie and Old Pan scored over 700, Xinghe and I went above expectations, and as for Old Sun…”
He paused, recalling Sun Haoxiang’s score of just over 300. “Ahem, Old Sun’s score doesn’t really count—it’s incomparable.”
“Hey!” Sun Haoxiang protested, “Are you looking down on me?”
“Not at all,” He Mingjie chuckled in surrender. “Can’t you tell? I have nothing but admiration for your family’s deep pockets.”
“That’s more like it.”
Xie Ruan thought about it carefully and realized it was true.
Everyone in the group had done well in the college entrance exams. Was this what they called a lucky charm?
“So…what’s everyone doing next?” He Mingjie asked, taking a sip of water after his banter with Sun Haoxiang.
There was a half-second of silence on the line, then everyone hung up in unison.
What are they going to do?
What do you think! Time to share the good news with their parents—and maybe ask for a bit of celebratory cash!
Xie Ruan had no one to share with, and he didn’t want to either. This joy was enough to share with Bo Jin alone; no one else needed to be involved.
He leaned back in his chair, a smile lingering on his lips as he thought dreamily: This is such a big deal; the school should hang a banner for the top student in the grade, right?
With all those people coming and going, his name fluttering in the breeze… it was a little embarrassing.
Maybe he should wear something new when he went back to school? White? That didn’t seem formal enough. Black? Maybe not festive enough… He looked at his score on the computer screen again; it was a sweet dilemma.
Just then, he felt a flick on his forehead.
Rubbing his forehead, he moved aside. “What are you doing? Stop messing with me.”
“Now you’re precious,” Bo Jin raised a brow, pulling him closer with a teasing look. “Are you saying I can’t touch you now that you’re the top scorer?”
“No,” Xie Ruan blushed, murmuring, “and I’m not the top scorer.”
Only the top student in the city or province could claim that title; his grade-level achievement was no big deal.
But even so, he was very pleased with his score, and as he thought of it, a smile broke out again.
“So happy?” Bo Jin wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted him effortlessly, pulling him close with a mischievous glint. “How about we do something to make you even happier?”
Happier? Really? Could there be anything better than getting such a high score?
Dazzled by his results, Xie Ruan missed the innuendo entirely and willingly took the bait. “What do you have in mind?”
His thirst for knowledge had driven him from an underachiever to a top student, but this time, it was leading him straight into a trap.
Bo Jin chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss the tip of his ear. “There’s a saying: achieving top honors, and wedding night bliss.”
Xie Ruan’s face went scarlet, and his reason finally caught up as he struggled, muttering, “Not…in broad daylight.”
Why not? Daylight was even more thrilling.
But he couldn’t say that outright, or it’d scare him off.
Bo Jin pulled the curtains shut, darkening the room instantly. He laid him down on the bed, grinning, “Now it’s dark.”
The two of them enjoyed a shamelessly carefree holiday together, blissfully unaware of the sensation Xie Ruan’s score was causing outside.
Who was Xie Ruan? Once, he’d been at the bottom of his class, but since getting serious about studying, it was like he’d flipped a switch, climbing from the very last spot to top student.
This was already impressive enough on its own, and combined with his good looks and his rumored relationship with Bo Jin, it made for a hot topic.
In just three days, the news that Xie Ruan scored 711 on the college entrance exams had spread throughout the school.
Whether they were first years, sophomores, or seniors, everyone in the school’s group chat would marvel at the news.
Watching the top students score high all the time? Not that interesting. But a “bad” student turning it all around? Now that was satisfying!
As it happened, quite a few students from Shijia High School lived in Chen Wei and He Jinqing’s neighborhood. The parents might not have known their kids’ friends by name, but they definitely knew who was top of the grade.
As a result, Chen Wei and He Jinqing found themselves receiving a steady stream of congratulatory customers at their store that day.
“Congratulations, Old He! Your kid’s really something!”
“Top of the grade! If my kid could get that score, I’d treat him like royalty!”
“Right? I heard he’s been admitted to Tsinghua University? First Tsinghua student from our neighborhood!”
“When’s the graduation banquet? We’re all old neighbors; don’t forget to invite me!”
“Oh, and by the way, does your kid still have his notes? Could I borrow them so mine can learn a bit?”
“Right, right, I almost forgot! You two can’t keep this to yourselves!”
“Little Chen, your future is looking bright.”
Chen Wei and He Jinqing were initially clueless about what was going on, until the neighbors’ lively discussions clued them in.
With a loud bang, the box of liquor in Chen Wei’s hand hit the glass counter. She didn’t even check for damage, too stunned as she turned to the neighbors. “You’re saying Xingxing scored top in his grade?”
How was that possible? Her eldest son had always struggled in school. How could he have done so well on the college entrance exams? Could he have cheated, or maybe he scored at the very bottom, and they’d all just heard it wrong?
Her neighbors looked at her in confusion—was she the only one who didn’t know?
But then again, it didn’t make sense. The exam results had been out for days, and students were already on break at home. How could she not know?
One neighbor was about to say something but then suddenly recalled the rumors from a few years ago: He Jinqing had kicked out Chen Wei’s son from her previous marriage!
At the time, she’d dismissed it as gossip. It didn’t seem too surprising if Little He wasn’t particularly attentive to the child—after all, he wasn’t his biological son, and there could be some distance. But for Chen Wei, the boy’s mother, to allow her underage son to live alone?
At the time, it hadn’t seemed significant, but looking back now, it was full of red flags.
They hadn’t spoken much to Xie Ruan, but they’d all noticed how responsible he was. During school breaks, if he wasn’t helping in the store, he was organizing He Jinqing’s inventory in the warehouse. They’d see him nearly every week.
But now that they thought about it, he hadn’t been around in a while.
How heartbreaking!
The neighbors shot Chen Wei and He Jinqing looks of disapproval. What kind of people were they, to be so cold-hearted?
Luckily, the boy had fought his own way forward, scoring high enough to get into one of the country’s top universities—a stepping stone into the elite. His future was secure now.
One neighbor, with a polite yet chilly smile, said, “Yes, didn’t you know? Xie Ruan scored 711—first in the entire school! His teachers were over the moon.”
It was true.
Chen Wei stood there in shock, remembering how her eldest son had once told her his grades were improving. She’d brushed it off back then—how much could someone improve from dead last? Maybe he’d moved up one spot? She figured that’d still be too embarrassing to mention.
But the boy had genuinely been trying.
Before she knew it, her eyes filled with tears. Her hands shook as she reached for her phone, wanting to call Xie Ruan. Why had she, as his mother, been so hard on him?
She could give in first—there was no shame in that. If she couldn’t rely on He Jinqing, she still had her eldest son.
But the voice on the other end of the line wasn’t his; it was only a busy tone.
At that moment, Chen Wei realized: the quiet, soft-hearted boy had already been pushed away by her own hands.
For the rest of her life, she would never regain that child who had once depended on her and sought her closeness.
Her chest felt hollow, as though a cold wind was blowing through an empty cavity. Chen Wei couldn’t hold it in any longer and broke down in tears, covering her face.
Xie Ruan, however, no longer cared about Chen Wei’s thoughts. In fact, since she had come to him before the exams, he’d decided not to reach out again.
When she grew old, he’d provide for her financially, but that was all.
He glanced at the plane ticket on his phone and smiled to himself.
Tomorrow, he and Bo Jin would be off to the capital city, and from now on, he’d leave behind all the trouble of life here in Shanghai.
Just then, Bo Jin pushed open the door.
Xie Ruan closed his packed suitcase and looked up. “Whose call was that?”
“The lawyer’s,” Bo Jin said, stretching his long legs out beside him. “Wen Yong got ten years.”
Xie Ruan’s first reaction was: Only ten years?
“He got off easy!”
If things had gone as Wen Yong intended, Bo Jin would’ve lost his life.
Bo Jin found his indignant expression adorable and ruffled his hair. “Why so vengeful?”
Xie Ruan batted his hand away. “Who do you think I’m doing this for?”
“For me.” Bo Jin chuckled, pulling him into his arms. “It’s my fault for being ungrateful, all right?”
Settling into a comfortable position in his embrace, Xie Ruan grumbled, “Now you’re talking.”
Outside, the sunset cast vibrant colors across the sky, and its warm light bathed the room, painting it in soft tones.
Bo Jin asked him, “About to start university—are you excited?”
Xie Ruan paused, then smiled. How could he not be?
It wasn’t just the new environment or the new life he looked forward to; it was the future he’d have with this person. Being beside him made him feel good about himself, filled with possibilities and unconditional acceptance.
In the magical glow, Bo Jin took his hand. Their fingers intertwined, tightly connected, blending into each other, creating the best image of a shared life.
Another novel completed!!! Thank you to all the readers who joined us on this journey and supported my translations, it really does mean a lot!!! <3 If you enjoyed the translations and the novel, please make sure to give the novel a good rating and review on Novelupdates or donate on Ko-fi or Paypal <3P.S. Go check out the other amazing novels being translated on this site :))