Sakura First High.

The cherry blossoms looked almost alive. Quite a few boys and girls wore Sakura First High’s uniforms, and the whole campus brimmed with youthful energy.

As usual, Leng Shuang would return a smile when people greeted him. But today, he seemed a little distracted.

Beside him, Yu Mo pursed his lips. He knew what Leng Shuang was worried about.

Because ever since they got off the subway, Leng Shuang had barely said a word.

That left Yu Mo, who could never keep his mouth shut, feeling a bit helpless. After all, if no one responded, even talking to himself would get awkward.

They crossed the campus, overflowing with youthful spirit, and arrived at the classroom door. Leng Shuang’s expression shifted slightly.

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

The two greeted the class, and quite a few girls quickly answered back.

After sitting down, Leng Shuang glanced behind him. Yu Mo was grinning at him with a teasing look, like he was waiting to watch a show.

Ignoring that smug smile, Leng Shuang lowered his head and looked into his desk drawer.

Sure enough, inside lay a pile of love letters and a few small gifts.

Already used to it, he dealt with them as usual, then took out his textbooks and started reviewing.

He wasn’t like Yu Mo, that guy who had totally given up. Leng Shuang believed hard work could make up for weakness. No matter how slow you were, if you worked hard enough, you still had a chance!

Not long after, a magnetic voice with a soft, seductive lilt rang out and interrupted his review.

“Good morning, everyone.”

He lifted his eyes.

At the doorway stood a beautiful girl in a JK uniform, though her figure had developed far ahead of her age. She carried a shoulder bag with one hand, her posture easy and carefree.

She had cherry-pink hair, smooth and glossy. Her fox-like eyes carried a faintly teasing air. She didn’t actually mean it that way, but maybe that was just her gift. She naturally gave people the feeling of being charming and full of allure.

Wearing that JK uniform, she walked toward her seat on long legs, smiling at Leng Shuang the whole way.

“Morning, Leng Shuang.”

Maybe it was because of what Yu Mo had said on the subway. Before, Leng Shuang had never really noticed anything. But now, he seriously examined Hichikawa Yuriko.

That sexy good morning was like heavenly music, echoing in his ears.

Her voice really was nice.

“Morning, Yuriko.”

Leng Shuang returned the smile.

His gaze slid down from her fox-like, alluring face, and once again, he couldn’t stop himself from looking lower.

A JK uniform was obviously the kind of outfit that radiated youthful energy. But on Hichikawa Yuriko, it carried a touch more maturity. That mature feeling came from the alluring curves at her chest, perfectly outlined beneath the fabric.

Leng Shuang had already warned himself in his heart that he couldn’t keep looking.

But this instinct, rooted deep in his genes, made him betray his own will every single time and do exactly what he didn’t want to do.

“Roo-la roo-la-lie, roo-la roo-la-lie! March bravely forward, forward and there’ll be prizes...”

A few desks behind them, Yu Mo had started humming with his mouth open. He looked pretty pleased with himself.

Leng Shuang turned back and shot him a glare.

He knew it. This guy was making fun of him.

“Leng Shuang, how’s your review been going lately?”

Hichikawa Yuriko flicked her pink hair and asked with a smile.

“It’s been okay, I guess. I’m not exactly that smart.”

Leng Shuang answered with a smile.

“Getting into university isn’t the only path in life. My family has a small company in Sakura City. If you ever need help in the future, you can come to me anytime.”

Whether she was expressing concern or showing off her family background, Hichikawa Yuriko said it very openly.

“Then thanks in advance.”

Leng Shuang answered politely.

“Do your best.”

“You too.”

Hichikawa didn’t take up too much of his time. She had a good sense of boundaries. After saying that, she turned back around and resumed reviewing.

Talking with Hichikawa felt comfortable.

Lowering his head, Leng Shuang continued studying.

Before long, the students gradually returned to the classroom. Some of the more talkative ones made the room lively.

“Morning.”

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, and Leng Shuang’s heart suddenly trembled hard.

He looked up and saw a beautiful girl with a tall, slender figure and perfectly balanced proportions.

The JK uniform fit her just right, perfectly showing the vibrant life and youthfulness of a girl her age. Her pretty face always carried the faintest smile. This was the kind of bright energy youth was supposed to have.

“Morning, Leng Shuang. Morning, Yuriko.”

“Morning.”

“Morning, Lin Mo.”

The two replied one after the other.

Lin Mo sat in the seat next to Leng Shuang. Their eyes met, and a trace of delight flickered in hers.

It was like the first stirrings of youth. And just so happened, both of them felt that way whenever they saw each other.

“Lin Mo, why are you so late today? Usually you’re either the first one here or the second.”

Hichikawa Yuriko hadn’t noticed the hidden spark deep in their gazes. She turned around and teased her with a smile.

“I stayed up a little too late last night, haha.”

Lin Mo laughed brightly.

“I bet it’s because you’re confident you’ll get into a university in Sakura City, so now you’re letting yourself slack off a little~”

“The universities in Sakura City aren’t easy to get into. Don’t tease me.”

Even when faced with Yuriko’s joke, Lin Mo stayed very modest.

In truth, everyone in the classroom knew Lin Mo had excellent grades. Whether it was sports or final exams, she always ranked near the top of the whole school.

And on top of that, she had a great personality. Diligent, honest, and always willing to help others. That had earned her a very good reputation.

You could say Lin Mo was exactly the kind of kid mothers used as a weapon against their own children.

“Look at Lin Mo...”

“Hehe~ so humble.”

Yuriko shook her head, then turned back around and continued reviewing.

“Hehe...”

Lin Mo smiled helplessly. She tilted her head and met Leng Shuang’s crescent eyes for a brief moment. Then, as if by silent understanding, both of them turned back and continued studying.

With the college entrance exam drawing near, some people suddenly woke up and started studying hard, hoping for a miracle. Like Leng Shuang.

Some gave up on themselves and just did whatever they wanted. Like Yu Mo.

Some were full of confidence and completely at ease. Like Lin Mo.

Some simply didn’t care that much, thinking all they had to do was try their best. Like Hichikawa Yuriko.

The four of them represented four different kinds of people facing the college entrance exam.

Time flew by. Anyone who had never gone through the gaokao could never understand the students’ tension, nor that suffocating atmosphere.

A week slipped away just like that.

There were already fewer than a hundred days left.

The high schools here didn’t do extra classes, and they definitely didn’t hold those weird hundred-day oath rallies with music blasting. After all, once you held one of those, you’d waste an entire day of review time.

Leng Shuang was a little dumbfounded. He realized he seemed to have studied hard all week, yet somehow also felt like he hadn’t studied at all.

For a moment, he panicked and subconsciously started scratching his head.

That flustered look made the nearby students laugh. Some even took out their phones and snapped pictures, planning to keep them as memories of their youth.

Ring ring ring ring ring!

Right when Leng Shuang was panicking, lunchtime arrived.

That only made him more dazed.

“How does time pass this fast...”

“Hehe, time to eat. People are iron, food is steel. Skip one meal and you’ll feel faint. Skip three days and you’re done for.”

The moment class ended, Yu Mo came over, threw an arm around Leng Shuang, and joked with him.

The surrounding students couldn’t help laughing. The heavy pressure of the approaching exam eased a little.

“It just feels like all this reviewing is the same as not reviewing at all.”

A trace of bitterness rose at the corner of Leng Shuang’s mouth. He was almost starting to want to give up.

“Ah, why think so much? Since things are already like this, let’s eat first. Only when you’re full will you have the energy to think about all that.”

Yu Mo dragged Leng Shuang out of the classroom.

Seeing the curve of Yu Mo’s raised lips, Leng Shuang vaguely sensed something.

“Hey! Yu Mo, why are you in such a rush? Even if we get there early, we’ll still have to line up!”

Only after they stepped into the hallway did Leng Shuang speak.

“Hehehe, wanna guess why I dragged you out here~”

Yu Mo narrowed his eyes like a cute little fox, looking a bit sly.

“You... what exactly are you trying to say?”

Leng Shuang started stammering a little.

“There are too many people here. Bad place to talk. Come on, let’s grab the lunchboxes at the entrance first.”

“At the entrance?”

“Yeah. I had my mom make two and bring them over. If she didn’t, I told her I wouldn’t live to graduation and would starve to death at school. See? Didn’t she bring them in the end?”

Yu Mo crossed his arms and lifted his cute little face slightly, looking very proud of himself.

“You... Yu Mo, you really are such a filial son.”

The corner of Leng Shuang’s mouth twitched. He gave this supremely filial son a thumbs-up.

“Hmph. To my mom, I’m basically just a money-making tool. The concern she gives me doesn’t even compare to what those pretty boys at the clubs give her.”

Yu Mo’s words made Leng Shuang think of his own mother, and a sense of shared understanding rose in his heart.

He was the same.

After picking up the lunchboxes, the two headed for the rooftop.

There were quite a few people eating there too, but since several school buildings were connected by the rooftop, it was easy enough to find an empty spot.

The two found a good place and sat down. When they opened the lunchboxes, fragrant food greeted them.

Tomato and egg rice, pork intestines, and a vegetable soup. All of them were dishes Leng Shuang liked.

“Alright, Yu Mo. What did you want to say?”

Leng Shuang took a bite of rice and spoke in a low voice.

“What did I want to say... hmph hmph~”

Yu Mo took a bite too, glanced around, then lowered his voice.

“Our campus beauty Leng, do you have any idea how many times you’ve looked at Lin Mo and Hichikawa Yuriko these past few days?”

Hearing that, Leng Shuang froze.

He really didn’t know.

His reaction pleased Yu Mo greatly. Very carefully, he pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket.

On the paper were the names “Lin” and “Hichikawa.” Under each surname were crooked tally marks.

And under “Hichikawa,” there were clearly more than under “Lin.”

Seeing that, Leng Shuang’s expression turned strange.

He seemed to understand what all this meant...