Graduation Certificate

Shen Nian's nails weren't actually very long, but Xia Yanchun had nothing better to do. She was afraid that if she didn't find something to occupy herself, she wouldn't be able to resist teasing him.

Having shorter nails didn't really have any downsides other than making it a bit inconvenient to pick one's nose, and they looked much cleaner.

She finished clipping one hand and moved on to the other.

Fortunately, the game Shen Nian was playing could be played with just one hand, otherwise he really would have had to leave Xia Yanchun hanging.

"OK, done playing." Shen Nian quit the game with a satisfied look, plugged his phone in to charge, and immediately bounced onto the bed, wrapping his arm around Xia Yanchun's shoulders. "I'm ready to pay attention to you now."

"Too late," Xia Yanchun said, her tone indifferent.

"How is it too late?"

"You made me wait too long. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Even if you don't want to, you have to." Shen Nian pressed against her in amusement, kissing her cheek without warning. He nuzzled her affectionately for a moment. "So, what did my sister want with you earlier?"

Xia Yanchun pursed her lips. "She asked if we had ever slept together, and then I told her you always sleep on the sofa, but she didn't believe it."

"She was right not to believe it. I wouldn't believe it either. Am I the kind of guy who goes out of his way to fight for the right to sleep on the sofa at a girl's house?" Shen Nian pointed at himself.

Xia Yanchun nodded vigorously.

Shen Nian pointed a finger at her dramatically like a martial arts master. "Hah, you damn Kitty Chun, you're not going to get away with this tonight."

Seeing her like this, he had originally wanted to coax her by calling her big sister a couple of times, but now it seemed there was no need. Kitty Chun just missed out big time. She could go cry about it.

Xia Yanchun giggled at Shen Nian's teasing, practically leaning her entire body against him.

She decided she would reluctantly sleep in Shen Nian's room tonight.

Xia Yanchun went back to hang up her laundry and didn't sneak over until twelve o'clock. She entered Shen Nian's room like a thief, climbed into his bed, and lay flat next to him.

Shen Nian was a bit clueless, just leaving his hand resting there. It wasn't until Xia Yanchun pulled his hand onto her stomach that he knew to start pressing and rubbing.

"Chunbao, good night."

"Mhm..."

Shen Nian rolled Xia Yanchun over so her back was facing him. This way, their curves fit together perfectly, making it much more comfortable to hold her.

Smelling the faint fragrance on Xia Yanchun's body, Shen Nian felt relaxed and his mind was completely clear of distracting thoughts.

...

June 17th, the ninth day after the college entrance examination.

Today was the day to return to school to pick up their graduation certificates.

Unsurprisingly, it would also be the last time the vast majority of the students ever returned to the campus.

Shen Nian's home was close to the school, so if he ever had the free time, he might come back for a visit.

After all, during his three years of high school, although he had enjoyed a lot of sweet moments, he hadn't really suffered much hardship either.

If you told people he slacked off in his first two years, scoring around five hundred and fifty points, and then made a massive comeback in his senior year to rank in the top fifty of the province, would anyone even understand?

It was all thanks to hard work and sweat.

However, the hard work and sweat all belonged to other people.

Shen Nian put on his shoes and opened the door, immediately bumping into Xia Yanchun, who had just been about to knock.

They didn't have to wear their school uniforms for this visit. Xia Yanchun had specifically changed into a pretty little dress. It had a layered look, and she wore a thin, minimalist jacket over the top. The dress covered her knees, and below her fair calves was a pair of small black leather shoes. White ankle socks were faintly visible at the edges of the shoes, giving her outfit a great sense of depth.

The ruffled headband she had bought at the night market last time made her hair look fluffy and voluminous.

Shen Nian looked down at her, stroking his chin as he sized her up.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a beautiful girl before?"

Xia Yanchun twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She had the outfit of a beautiful girl but the expression of a resentful wife, which made Shen Nian laugh.

"You're dressed so nicely, standing next to you makes me look like a goblin."

"You already are one, just a slightly taller one."

"Give you a couple of compliments and it goes straight to your head."

"What do you mean compliments? I thought you were just telling the truth."

Xia Yanchun was more or less a bit narcissistic, and Shen Nian absolutely loved it.

"Chunbao looks really pretty in that outfit." Shen Nian stood next to her as they waited for the elevator, playfully bumping his shoulder against hers.

"A pretty person looks good in anything. Don't you even understand that, you silly Shen Nian?"

"I understand, I understand. Chunbao is always right."

The elevator doors opened, and Shen Nian pulled Xia Yanchun inside. During the dozen or so seconds it took to go down, Shen Nian acted like he had ADHD, one moment he was touching Xia Yanchun's hand, the next he was pinching her cheek, and then he was playing with her hair.

Xia Yanchun didn't clench her little fists to hit him. She held back, deciding to indulge Shen Nian on these minor things.

Sister Chun is just that awesome, no words needed.

Xia Yanchun felt quite smug in her own heart.

The sun wasn't too harsh today, and the clouds were thick. It was only about twenty-four or twenty-five degrees outside, making it one of the cooler days they'd had recently. Otherwise, Xia Yanchun wouldn't have worn an extra jacket just for the sake of layered fashion.

"After we get our graduation certificates, I still need to go pick up some packages. My computer parts arrived."

"Mhm, how much did it cost?"

"Including the monitor, it's going to be around eleven thousand."

"Where exactly did you get that much money..."

"You're so silly. Isn't it normal to buy a computer after finishing exams? If you just asked, Uncle Xia would definitely buy you one right now."

Xia Yanchun didn't say anything, because Shen Nian wasn't wrong.

Many students got their first computers during the vacation after the college entrance exams. Some were funded by their parents, while others worked summer jobs to pay for them. With Shen Nian's excellent grades, his family would definitely buy him one as long as he asked.

"Looks like I need to place an order too."

"Yeah, the mid-year sales have already started. There's no need to wait until tomorrow."

"Find some time to help me look for a laptop. My budget is seven or eight thousand, but a little higher is fine too."

"Leave it to me, it's a sure thing."

"...Idiot."

Shen Nian grinned, completely unbothered.

Because the various parts were bought separately, Shen Nian had already brought home the packages that arrived early. He was just waiting for the final few to arrive so he could film an unboxing and PC building video.

He gave Xia Yanchun a ride to the school.

There were quite a few private cars parked at the entrance, and students were walking in one after another. Some had already dyed their hair blonde, completely letting themselves go now that the exams were over.

They didn't run into any of their classmates on the way, which was a bit of a pity.

In the office, Su Kexi was already checking the documents one by one. Seeing Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun, she immediately smiled. "Our two top scholars are here."

"Uh, teacher, is this really appropriate? Back in my sophomore year, you were telling me not to distract the other students."

"You brat, don't you remember how you acted in your sophomore year? I didn't even say anything when you slept in class, but why did you always have to drag other people into your conversations?"

"Did I? I can't remember. Teacher, you shouldn't try to trick me." Shen Nian gave a goofy smile.

Su Kexi chuckled and pulled out Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun's graduation certificates and files, along with two thick college application guides.

"The scores will be out soon, so you two really need to think carefully about which schools and majors to apply for. If you don't understand something, make sure to ask me. But then again, with your scores, you'll definitely be applying to Tsinghua or Peking University."

Xia Yanchun blinked. "Actually, no. Shen Nian and I both plan to study locally."

"?"

Su Kexi had just taken a sip of water and nearly choked on Xia Yanchun's words. "You're not going to Tsinghua or Peking??"

"They're too far away."

"..."

Shattered.

Su Kexi's dream of having students at Tsinghua and Peking University was shattered.

She would no longer be able to brag to others that she taught two students who made it into Tsinghua and Peking.

Tears practically streamed down her face.

The local university in Cinan was called Nanjiang University. Although it was also one of the prestigious C9 League schools, in terms of reputation, it was nowhere near as famous as Tsinghua or Peking University. It just didn't have the same level of intimidation when spoken out loud.

Other teachers get to brag about their students getting into Tsinghua or Peking University. If I go around bragging that my students got into Nanjiang University, even if their scores are actually higher, people will still think the Tsinghua and Peking kids are more impressive.

It makes me want to cry.

You two really need to do me proud! I don't care which one of you does it, but bring back the title of top scorer. That way, your teacher can brag to her heart's content. Being the top scorer is way more impressive than just getting into Tsinghua or Peking!

Sigh, a teacher's status really does depend on her students.

Despite the countless selfish little thoughts running through her head, Su Kexi still deeply respected her students' decisions. She was only their teacher, not their parents, so she couldn't make their choices for them.

Since both students had a clear direction, she didn't even need to offer any advice. All she could do was silently pray that after these two brilliant scholars made a name for themselves, they would come back to visit their former teacher and express their deep respect and affection. One could gift her a sports car, and the other could buy her a three-bedroom apartment. Of course, just giving her the cash equivalent would be perfectly fine, too.

Well, at least she has material for her dreams tonight.