In June, the temperature began to warm up.
A week before the college entrance exam, Shen Huaizhi started sitting in the classroom every day again.
While Jiang Heng worked on his test papers, Shen Huaizhi would sit beside him, flipping through company materials, occasionally helping Jiang Heng check for mistakes.
Chen Xingchi passed by with his notebook, paused for a moment, and glanced down at the materials in Shen Huaizhi’s hands. “Wait, Class Monitor, have you become Mr. Shen now?”
Shen Huaizhi lifted his eyelids but didn’t respond.
Chen Xingchi didn’t intend to ask further. Before meeting Jiang Heng, the Class Monitor had always been like this.
Jiang Heng, however, couldn’t resist teasing. He bit his pen and said, “Yes, Mr. Shen.” Afterward, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at Shen Huaizhi.
Shen Huaizhi helplessly chuckled and reached out to ruffle Jiang Heng’s hair.
Jiang Heng had just gotten a new haircut, and it was a bit prickly.
Chen Xingchi watched them for a while, feeling like he had nothing better to do. He had to sit there and endure the couple’s “dog food” (public display of affection).
The classroom was very quiet.
At this time, those who wanted to study hard were still buried in their work, while those who didn’t care about studying were almost never at school anymore, just waiting for freedom.
The teachers didn’t come to the classroom much either. In the last week before the exam, they let the students do as they pleased, not daring to put too much pressure on them.
Two days before the college entrance exam, the entire school had a holiday.
Jiang Heng returned to the house he had rented off-campus.
His rent was about to expire, and after graduation, he wouldn’t be staying there anymore.
However, since his university plans hadn’t been settled yet, he couldn’t rent a new place. He would probably stay at the Shen family’s house until he went to university.
Fortunately, Ruan Shu and Shen’s father welcomed him, and to avoid making Jiang Heng feel awkward, they moved to the villa next door, leaving space for the two of them to have some privacy.
Jiang Heng was packing his things.
He didn’t have many belongings. Most of the memories from his childhood, related to Xie An and Jiang Jin, were left in Xie An’s house. Even many of his clothes were new purchases. The majority of them were couple outfits bought by Ruan Shu for him and Shen Huaizhi. The two of them mostly wore school uniforms, adding sweaters and thick jackets when it was cold, so they hadn’t worn much else.
Shen Huaizhi had already packed his winter clothes into a box. Jiang Heng wasn’t a fan of doing housework, and although he had lived alone for a long time, many chores were still done by the aunt who helped.
After moving in with Shen Huaizhi, almost all the organizing was done by him. The clothes he wore were left hanging outside, and Jiang Heng rarely looked inside the wardrobe.
At this moment, he opened the wardrobe to take a look and saw a box that seemed to have been opened.
Jiang Heng paused for a moment. This wasn’t his stuff. He opened it to take a look, and his eyelids twitched.
“Shen Huaizhi!”
Shen Huaizhi was in the living room looking through study materials. When he heard Jiang Heng call him, he arrived at the door of the room after a short while.
Jiang Heng’s face turned red. “When did you buy this thing?”
Shen Huaizhi paused for a moment. “It was a birthday gift from Chen Xingchi.”
Jiang Heng: “…Stupid Chen Xingchi.” He cursed a couple of times and then shoved the item back into the wardrobe, feeling like his hands were burning just from seeing it.
Seeing Jiang Heng’s embarrassed and angry look, Shen Huaizhi found it a bit amusing. After a moment of silence, he said, “If you don’t like it, I’ll throw it away.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
When he saw Shen Huaizhi actually move to grab it, Jiang Heng stiffened and blocked him with one leg, lightly clearing his throat. “…Don’t waste it.”
Shen Huaizhi paused for a moment, lowered his gaze, and saw that Jiang Heng’s earlobes were red. He smiled slightly.
After a while, he whispered, “Want to try it next time?”
Jiang Heng: “…Shut up.”
In the afternoon, the two of them made plans to play basketball with He Ci and the others.
The First High School was a test center, so the campus was closed and they couldn’t get in. They went to an old basketball court nearby instead.
It might have been because of the heat, or maybe it was due to the approaching finals and college entrance exam, but the court was mostly empty, with only a few people scattered around.
Jiang Heng didn’t expect to run into He Zishu and the others here.
He Zishu had gotten a little darker from the sun.
When he saw Jiang Heng and the others, he greeted them during the break, his gaze moving between Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi before he spoke with a hint of envy. “I’ll probably be single by the time I get to university. I envy you guys for settling down in high school.”
Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi were wearing matching couple outfits, which were chosen by Ruan Shu, so they looked a bit childish.
Jiang Heng usually dressed casually, so suddenly wearing a light yellow outfit made him look a bit unrecognizable at first glance.
As for Shen Huaizhi, even though he was wearing light yellow clothes, his presence still couldn’t be hidden.
On the way there, Chen Xingchi had secretly complained to He Ci several times about the “things you’ll experience in your lifetime” series.
Hearing He Zishu’s words, He Ci laughed. “What? I heard you applied early to the sports academy? Did you get in?”
He Zishu also laughed. “I got in. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so relaxed playing basketball here.”
“Isn’t the sports academy all Alpha?” Chen Xingchi said, feeling a bit sympathetic toward He Zishu.
Jiang Heng smiled and gave Chen Xingchi a somewhat ambiguous look. “Don’t be gender-biased.”
“Are we still playing basketball?”
After he said that, Shen Huaizhi also smiled.
On Jiang Heng’s side, there were fewer people, so they ended up matching up with He Zishu’s group in terms of numbers.
The weather in June was already quite hot, especially in the afternoon. Without much exercise, a person could easily work up a sweat.
But the boys on the court were enjoying this moment.
After leaving high school, who knew when they would have such carefree times again?
Youthful years are always the most memorable and the easiest moments to leave memories. Those unrequited crushes that ended without any outcome, the passionate joys once felt, all become the best memories of life.
After sweating it out, Jiang Heng felt much more energized.
He Ci’s mother was still at home, waiting for him and Chen Xingchi to have dinner. It was a coincidence that He Ci’s mother and Chen Xingchi’s mother had been classmates in the past. They hadn’t seen each other for years, but after bumping into each other at the last parent-teacher meeting, they became best friends who could talk about anything.
When they came, there were four of them, but when they left, only Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi were left.
Since school was starting soon, it had been a while since Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi had strolled slowly down the street like this.
Having just finished exercising, both of them were sweaty, and the faint scent of their pheromones mixed together, but it didn’t smell bad. The afternoon sun was intense, making people squint, and the streets were almost empty.
Jiang Heng didn’t feel particularly hot, while Shen Huaizhi’s palm was cool.
At this moment, it seemed like the coolness of his pheromones was coming in handy.
“Shen Huaizhi.” When they passed by the school gate, Jiang Heng paused for a moment. The school gate was closed, and a banner had been hung up. In two days, the college entrance exam would begin.
Upon hearing this, Shen Huaizhi turned his head to look at him.
The Alpha had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes were slightly darker than usual. His gaze fell on Jiang Heng without hesitation.
Jiang Heng suddenly smiled. “Shen Huaizhi, we’re graduating.”
In the past, Jiang Heng felt like life moved very slowly.
Now, Jiang Heng felt like life was moving too quickly, and he was always afraid that he would miss something if he wasn’t paying attention.
The two continued walking forward and passed by the internet café outside the school. Due to the college entrance exam, the internet café had temporarily closed, and a sign had been put up outside.
Jiang Heng looked up for a moment, then fell silent. After a while, he said, “Class monitor, do you remember?”
Following his gaze, Shen Huaizhi squinted his eyes and smiled. “I remember.”
“When I first entered the internet café, I saw a rebellious teenager there shouting at people.”
At that time, he had only seen Jiang Heng as a responsibility entrusted to him by his parents and had even thought that Jiang Heng was a bit annoying.
Maybe it was from that moment on that Jiang Heng became special to him.
Jiang Heng hissed. “What rebellious teenager shouting at people?”
“Wait, class monitor, are you trying to indirectly insult me now, since you didn’t have the courage to back then?”
Shen Huaizhi shook his head. “No.” He paused for a moment, then with a smile, he leaned down and unexpectedly kissed Jiang Heng on the forehead. “I was just thinking, how come I didn’t fall in love with you at first sight back then?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng snorted.
But Shen Huaizhi continued in a teasing tone, “…Maybe you were too fierce back then.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Jiang Heng gritted his teeth. “Shen Huaizhi.”
Shen Huaizhi chuckled, pulling him into an embrace, his voice soft as he responded, “I’m here.”
In an instant, Jiang Heng fell into his gentle gaze, and for some reason, he suddenly felt deflated.
This person really knew exactly what he couldn’t handle.
Jiang Heng, feeling his temper slip away because of Shen Huaizhi’s gesture, fell silent for a moment. Then, in a quieter voice, he said, “But I fell in love at first sight.” His voice was so soft that he wasn’t sure if Shen Huaizhi heard it. Saying it suddenly made him feel a little embarrassed, so he quickly raised his voice, as if trying to cover it up, “Shen Huaizhi, what do you think if I grow my hair out after we go to college?”
He didn’t even remember when he started shaving his head short; he just found it convenient.
Now, suddenly, he felt that since Shen Huaizhi kept touching his hair, he might as well think about the feel of it.
Shen Huaizhi hummed in response, his smile deepening in his eyes.
It wasn’t clear which question he was answering.
On the two days of the college entrance exam, Ruan Shu made breakfast for both of them every morning, and Shen’s father personally drove them to and from the exam.
To avoid affecting Jiang Heng’s mood before the exams, neither of them asked about his results, though Shen’s father privately asked Shen Huaizhi, and the answer was that things were quite stable.
Luckily, Shen’s father and his son shared the same thought process—if his son said things were stable, that pretty much meant it was stable.
The afternoon after the exams ended was the hottest part of June.
Outside the exam hall, it was packed with people, and there were even reporters from TV stations.
“Excuse me, are you here to pick up your son?” A reporter held a microphone up to Shen’s father.
Reporters liked to focus on parents who looked good and seemed wealthy—it made for better ratings, and the reporter had a vague feeling that this person looked familiar.
Shen’s father had appeared in numerous financial news reports and had never been nervous in front of cameras, but now, when the reporter asked him this question, he suddenly felt a little tense.
He cleared his throat. “No.”
The reporter understood immediately—it must be that he was waiting for his younger son. He wasn’t sure whether this person would be upset at being called old…
The reporter was about to say something to backtrack, but Shen’s father responded seriously, “I’m waiting for my son-in-law.”
“My son’s here too, but I’m not waiting for him.”
Reporter: “…” The reporter glanced at the cameraman, seeing the same confusion in their eyes. Could this part even be aired?
There was still some time before the exam officially ended, and a boy in a No. 1 High School uniform walked out of the school gate.
The boy was tall, with long legs, a cool expression, and handsome features. The reporter’s eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked Shen’s father before rushing over to the boy with the cameraman.
Shen Huaizhi stopped in his tracks as the microphone suddenly blocked his path.
The reporter, seeing him, sighed in relief. That part definitely needed to be cut!
“Excuse me, are you done with the exam early? Are you confident?”
Shen Huaizhi furrowed his brows slightly. He was standing to the left of the school gate, and before entering, he had told Jiang Heng to wait for him on the left. But now, the cameraman was blocking his view completely.
“Mm.” His good upbringing made him respond, “Sorry, I’m waiting for my boyfriend. Could you please move a bit?”
Reporter: “…” The reporter awkwardly smiled. “Well, I just have a few questions…”
Just as the reporter finished speaking, a few other students from No. 1 High School walked out. When they saw the interview with Shen Huaizhi, they mischievously walked up to join in.
“Stop interviewing! This is our province’s future top scorer! You can interview him after the exam results come out!”
“Yeah, yeah, he still has to wait for his boyfriend!”
“Class monitor, I just saw Jiang Heng finish the exam. He should be out soon.”
Shen Huaizhi nodded at the student who spoke.
Reporter: “…???”
By the time Jiang Heng came out, the reporter had already run off.
Shen Huaizhi stood at the left side of the school gate. No matter how many people there were, it seemed like he could always spot Jiang Heng in the crowded crowd.
With a faint smile on his face, there was no trace of impatience.
As if sensing something, when Jiang Heng looked over, Shen Huaizhi also turned his body slightly, gazing in his direction.
Jiang Heng suddenly smiled.
A reporter, still weaving through the crowd, happened to look back and saw the two of them making eye contact from across the crowd. He hurriedly urged the cameraman to capture the moment.
In the shot, the sunlight, the two of them, everything was just perfect.
[mfn]You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad [/mfn]
