Chapter 305

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

Since Nuan Nuan could remember, she had often heard adults teasing her, saying she and her little brother had a childhood engagement, that she was the Gu family's child bride.

As a child she didn't think anything was wrong, she only knew how to play stupidly and happily.

Not until she entered elementary school did she truly understand what a child bride meant, and she also developed a few points of aversion toward this joking title.

Her little brother was younger than her, shorter than her; she absolutely would not like a little brat.

Upon entering middle school, her little brother suddenly seemed to have opened a heavenly aperture; his grades soared, ranking first in the grade.

Aunt Lin consulted her little brother's opinion and had him skip a grade.

This grade-skipping came a bit unexpectedly, ah ah ah!

Originally a grade below her, her little brother suddenly became her classmate.

And his height also changed year by year, shooting up rapidly, already nearly level with her own.

Anan had red lips and white teeth; from childhood he was a little shota.

A boy who studied well and looked good was undoubtedly very popular.

Many girls in the class liked to discuss him during breaks; the bold ones even peeked at him openly during class.

Nuan Nuan didn't know why, but she felt a bit sour.

Fortunately Anan was still the same as in childhood, silent and reticent, ignoring anyone who tried to chat him up; this let her resentful little heart feel somewhat better.

——

Upon entering the third year of middle school, there were evening classes.

Anan was ordered by Aunt Lin, for safety's sake, to escort her home after school every evening.

Anan wore a resentful face.

Although he looked unwilling, his figure could be seen at the school gate every night.

He didn't speak, just stood there quietly like that.

Seeing her come out, he rode his electric bike and silently followed behind, just like that without a sound all the way, until he watched her enter her home door, then he would quietly leave.

Nuan Nuan's heart was sweet, like eating milk candy sweet, sweet with countless pink bubbles rising, enough to drown herself in them.

The good days didn't last long; the high school entrance exam was approaching, and she worried again.

Anan studied well; getting into the best high school was a sure thing.

She was different — middle of the class, and her grade ranking couldn't even make the list; getting into an ordinary high school would already be not bad.

If they couldn't attend the same high school, they wouldn't be able to see each other often.

Nuan Nuan's emotions shifted sharply; the pink bubbles vanished, and her eyes were full of dim little stars.

Aunt Lin stepped in again, having Anan tutor her homework.

Nuan Nuan's mood instantly turned from gray to red, and countless pink bubbles rose again.

After waiting hard for the weekend, she carried her schoolbag and happily came to the old house, only to see a scene that dealt her a heavy blow.

That grade-first, the good student in teachers' eyes, the "other people's child" in parents' eyes.

Was seriously wearing headphones, on the computer — playing games.

She, for the high school entrance exam, was exhausting herself reviewing.

That brat, unexpectedly playing games!

Nuan Nuan felt sour again for the umpteenth time.

The top student's filter of hard study and exemplary leadership shattered.

——

One must say, Anan is truly smart.

Tutoring homework was also simple and efficient, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Difficult math, physics, and chemistry problems she usually couldn't do, after his pointers, gave her a feeling of sudden enlightenment, making Nuan Nuan once think she had also become smarter, her IQ altitude rising in a straight line, trending toward a study god.

"Aiyo, sister-in-law is here too, I came at a bad time, disturbing your study."

Pingping rushed in from outside in a flurry, his ambiguous little eyes constantly glancing at the two of them.

He recently got obsessed with Taekwondo; even after training class he wouldn't take off his Taekwondo uniform, wearing it around the house all day.

Anan couldn't stand his yin-yang sarcastic teasing; he stretched his right foot from under the table and tripped him.

"Ah ah ah ah ah......"

Pingping fell flat on the ground; fortunately he had practiced martial arts since childhood, reacted quickly, and blocked his face with his arm, avoiding the tragedy of broken front teeth.

Hearing that "sister-in-law," Nuan Nuan's heart felt sweet; she couldn't help lifting her eyelids to glance at Anan.

Anan's profile was very handsome, a clear and elegant youth, truly grown onto her heart.

Now she felt a bit fortunate; her mother had unique vision, arranging a childhood engagement for her from a young age.

Such an excellent boy was her fiancé.

Thinking about it was just beautiful!

——

With Anan tutoring homework, basking in the indicator student's light, Nuan Nuan finally got her wish and, by a tiny margin, squeezed into the best high school.

Experimental Middle School was relatively far from home; even by electric bike it took over half an hour; rainy and snowy days the roads were slippery and hard to travel; arriving late would affect class.

Aunt Lin didn't want her son to be burdened, so she rented an apartment near the school for Anan and hired a nanny to take care of him.

Nuan Nuan also benefited from the arrangement, and with the tacit approval of both sets of parents, she got to live under the same roof as Anan.

The two of them cohabited — no, lived together.

Letting pink bubbles rapidly spread through Nuan Nuan's heart.

"Anan, does that make me your domestic girlfriend now?"

On the first day moving into the rental, she cheerfully hugged a romance novel along the lines of "The Tycoon CEO Falls for Me" and sidled up to Anan, who was playing a game.

Anan glanced at her, expression calm, took the romance novel from her hand, and shoved a copy of "Years of Gaokao 3 Years of Simulation" back into it.

Nuan Nuan: "........"

——

High school had elite classes.

Anan's high school entrance exam results ranked first among all freshmen in the school; without a doubt, he was placed in the elite class.

Nuan Nuan was an indicator student; her exam score ranked at the bottom, so she could only unwillingly go to an ordinary class.

Unable to attend class in the same classroom as Anan, Nuan Nuan wilted again, head drooping, listless.

Fortunately, Aunt Lin spoke up again.

Once more citing safety, she ordered Anan to accompany Nuan Nuan to and from school — especially after evening self-study, to wait for her and go home together.

Anan wore his usual resentful face.

And just as always, he strictly carried out Mother's orders.

Thus, the commute to and from school became the happiest time of Nuan Nuan's day.

The rental was very close to the school; a ten-odd minute walk got them there.

To spend a little more time with Anan, she sneakily used a little scheme, claiming exercise, and insisted on using her own two legs instead of an electric bike.

Anan couldn't win against her stubbornness, so he could only go along with her and walk to school.

Nuan Nuan felt a little secret delight; the happiest moment was after evening self-study, watching the two shadows walking side by side under the streetlights, drawing closer day by day.

－－

Once boys entered high school, their height shot up like bamboo shoots; after sophomore year especially, they changed every month.

One night Nuan Nuan suddenly discovered that the shadow originally level with hers had suddenly grown a bit longer.

Then, longer and longer.

Until one day, it stood a whole head taller than her.

That little brat she once disdained had grown to a height she had to look up to.

Nuan Nuan's glass heart shattered again.

She had thought that no matter how stupid she was, no matter how bad her grades, at least in height she would never lose to him.

She was already 178, maintained a good figure, and was the model seedling Grandma Ge favored most.

Who would have thought that in just sophomore year, Anan's height would surge, shooting up to 189 in one go, even a centimeter taller than her own father.

Did this kid eat fertilizer or what?

Clearly the two of them ate and lived together, with not the slightest difference!

——

The school held a basketball tournament; height was an advantage, and Anan became a starter without question.

He and Pingping were polar opposites — he had little athletic talent, but because he was tall enough and handsome enough, the class teacher pushed him out from a pile of study gods wearing thick glasses to represent the elite class in the match.

The elite class rarely had a few who could play basketball, and those who could were mediocre; their heights were also uneven. Sending such a group with severely mismatched IQ and EQ onto the court, the outcome was predictable.

Even so, because there was a sufficiently eye-catching handsome guy, it still attracted many girls to come watch.

Nuan Nuan was one of them.

A rare basketball game, and Anan was playing; how could she miss it?

During the game, the other girls all cheered for Lin Ruibo; only she alone screamed her throat raw cheering for Anan.

Whenever he heard her voice, Anan would, in the gaps of play, turn his head and glance at her.

That exclusive favoritism warmed her heart, sweet as if she had drunk sugar.

As for the slight frown when he turned back, she could automatically ignore it, pretending she hadn't seen it.

As the basketball game neared its end, the elite class was, as predicted, suppressed tight by the opponents; the score gap was too miserable to watch.

Seeing victory in sight, the opposing team's players also slackened off, no longer marking so tightly.

Last ten seconds, the elite class got a chance; a teammate stole the ball from behind, threw it with all his might, and passed it to Anan.

"Lin Ruibo, go for it!"

"Ahhh, score!"

The girls on site were all excited, hyped up like they'd been injected with chicken blood, cheering for him.

Anan caught the ball, movement fluid, cradled it with both hands, aimed, jumped, and shot in one smooth flow.

Judging purely by the motion, it was truly pleasing to the eye.

However, the result was not so satisfactory.

The basketball grazed the rim and flew past, not even touching the edge.

Now that was a bit embarrassing!

A moment of silence fell over the scene.

Everyone simultaneously had the same thought.

Elite class top students, better not come play ball.

They're more suited to showing their brilliance at the International Olympiad in math, physics, and chemistry.

——

Anan's ball skills were poor, but his math, physics, and chemistry grades were top-notch.

In the second semester of sophomore year, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad and won first prize.

Famous schools like Tsinghua and Peking University all sent him invitation letters, and the school teachers solemnly promised to give him a recommendation quota — he could pick any university he liked.

Seeing the invitation letters, Nuan Nuan started worrying again.

Anan had good grades and could get into a top school.

She was different; her foundation was weak to begin with, and she only squeezed into the best high school thanks to an indicator student quota. Even with Anan tutoring her, her grades were worrying — let alone the top hundred in the grade, she couldn't even squeeze into the top ten in class.

Anan was going to Tsinghua or Peking University; what was she supposed to do?

She had already grown used to having him by her side at all times.

Going to school together, leaving school together.

Not being able to attend the same university — to her, what joy was left to speak of?

She was so afraid that after they separated, he would forget her, be attracted by other girls.

There were so many girls at Tsinghua and Peking University smarter than her, more excellent than her.

Whether in talent or learning, they were all more suited to him.

They had more opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, to walk hand in hand into the future.

——

Nuan Nuan worried and worried, from sophomore year all the way to senior year.

Until the college entrance exam ended, and when the exam results came out, seeing that Anan's first choice wasn't Tsinghua or Peking University but Harbin Institute of Technology Aerospace College, hope reignited.

If she couldn't get into Tsinghua or Peking University, Harbin Institute of Technology was still something she could take a shot at.

No matter the major, even the most obscure one she would accept.

As long as she could be at the same university as Anan, even if it meant giving up the bright future of a fashion model, she would do it willingly.

——

With a determination to succeed or die trying, Nuan Nuan applied for the most obscure major at Harbin Institute of Technology.

But Heaven just had to go against her.

Things went contrary to her wishes.

Even the most obscure major, with her grades, she still couldn't get in.

The moment the admission list was published, seeing that the school that admitted her was north and south of Harbin Institute of Technology, almost spanning the whole of China, she could hold back no longer, threw herself into Anan's arms, and cried her heart out.

——

A complex look flashed through Anan's eyes.

Clearly he should be relieved, finally able to shake off the clingy person, yet he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

Habit is truly terrifying.

No matter how high his IQ, he still couldn't control his heart, which stirred restlessly, wanting to draw close to her.

"Stop crying, not being in the same school doesn't mean we can't meet; communications are so advanced now, we can video call anytime..."

"Can I video call you?"

A thread of hope rose in Nuan Nuan's heart; she lifted her head with sobbing breaths.

"Mm."

Anan awkwardly averted his gaze.

"Every day?"

Nuan Nuan stopped crying, her eyes lighting up.

"Mm."

Anan pursed his lips, not speaking.

Even though his attitude looked cold, it gave Nuan Nuan enormous encouragement.

"You promised, you can't go back on it."

Afraid he would go back on it, Nuan Nuan hooked her finger around his.

The corner of Anan's mouth twitched; even though he felt the gesture was childish, he still indulged her little whim.

Their fingers intertwined, sensing each other's warmth.

Their hearts, too, in this moment, were like flowering vines, thread by thread entwining together.

——

The first National Day holiday after starting university.

Nuan Nuan wanted to give Anan a surprise, didn't tell him in advance, and flew directly from Sanya to Harbin.

"That girl is so pretty."

"She's so tall, like a model."

"Who is she waiting for?"

"Lin Ruibo, looks like she's looking at you."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"You kid sure are lucky, to have such a beautiful girl like you."

At the Aerospace College doorway, Nuan Nuan watched Anan walk out with a few close classmates, heard their discussion, and the corner of her mouth couldn't help but curve upward slightly.

She is a model, after all.

She had already officially signed with the clothing company founded by Grandma Ge, becoming the exclusive model for the Zhihe brand.

Grandma Ge praised her good temperament, wanted to cultivate her, and had already arranged for her to participate in several fashion shows during school.

She not only gained fame, but also earned a lot of pocket money; otherwise she wouldn't dare squander it so freely, just to see Anan once, directly taking a plane from Sanya to fly over.

"How did you get here?"

Anan was very surprised to see her; ignoring her classmates' teasing, she strode over.

"I wanted to give you a surprise."

Nuan Nuan happily pounced over and linked her arm through his.

A commotion rose from behind, mixed with whistles of those watching the show.

Anan helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead, really wanting to say, "Are you sure it's not a fright?"

"They're asking you, am I your girlfriend......"

Nuan Nuan was a little resentful: "Why didn't you answer?"

"Cough, cough."

Anan's ear roots reddened; she covered her mouth with her hand and coughed twice.

"Say it......"

Nuan Nuan shook his arm coquettishly: "Am I your girlfriend? Am I?"

"If you say yes, then yes."

Anan flushed a deep red.

"What do you mean 'counts as'?"

Nuan Nuan refused to let it go.

"Yes."

Anan was worn down by her until she had no temper left, helplessly conceding defeat.

"I knew you liked me; we've already pinky sworn, you can never go back on it again."

This was the first time Anan had personally admitted that she was his girlfriend.

Nuan Nuan's heart leaped with joy, as if it would fly out of her chest.

Silly girl, I never thought about going back on it!

Anan patted her head, seemingly disdainful but actually full of pampering.

(Grand finale)