From Friendship Evolving into Familial Love, Then into Romantic Love

Livestreaming the checking of college entrance exam scores was considered the most effective show during the exam fever. Even if it was just an ordinary student, people would watch them check their scores live, let alone Shen Nian, who was currently riding the wave of high internet traffic.

People would comfort those with poor scores and worship those with good ones... For someone like Shen Nian, who claimed he would score at least one hundred and forty, if he did poorly, he would probably be mocked by the entire internet and become the next Mumu Huan.

Of course, there was no bragging involved when Shen Nian said he would score at least one hundred and forty; in fact, he was being quite conservative.

Modesty helps one go forward, haven't you heard?

By eleven o'clock at night, nearly three hundred people had already reserved a spot for the livestream.

At this rate of growth, breaking a thousand tonight wouldn't be a problem.

There was a knock on the door. Shen Nian didn't even have to guess to know that it was the fragrant, soft, and freshly bathed Chunbao coming to find him.

"Shen Nian, what are you doing?"

"Scrolling on my phone."

"Oh." Xia Yanchun sat on the edge of the bed, leaning half her body back, and asked leisurely, "When are we going back to town?"

"Hmm... how about tomorrow?"

They had originally decided to go back to their hometown around the time the exam scores were released, and now the timing was just about right.

"I don't mind. If it's decided, then I'll ask my mom to pick us up at the town entrance tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah, let's head back early then!"

"Do you have anything to pack?"

"I need to bring my computer back." Shen Nian looked at his computer, trying to figure out the most convenient way to transport it.

That was the downside of a desktop computer. Even within the same city, taking it back to his hometown required a lot of effort and was incredibly troublesome.

It was inconvenient not having a car of his own, and he didn't feel safe handing it over to a courier. If something got damaged, he would have to argue with the delivery company for ages. It was a newly bought computer, treated like a treasure, and Shen Nian had seen plenty of videos online about computer parts being secretly swapped out.

"Sounds like a hassle."

"Yeah, it would be great to have a car." Shen Nian clicked his tongue. "No, I really need to buy a car. It's so hard to get around without one. I might not drive it all the time, but I can't go without one."

"Are you really going to buy a car?" Xia Yanchun blinked her big eyes and raised her eyebrows. "But I heard that you can drive inside the university campus too, as long as you drive slowly."

"Then I definitely have to buy one. I'll drive you around campus every day for a joyride."

Shen Nian was certain.

His dad had even said that if he actually became the top scorer, he would fund the car purchase for him.

Regarding the college entrance exam, both he and Xia Yanchun were aiming for the top five and fighting for first place. Over at First High School, there were also a few strong contenders for the top scorer title. He was confident about being the top scorer, but confidence couldn't guarantee it.

Even if he didn't become the top scorer, he would find a way to clearly explain the source of the money in his bank account so he could openly and honestly buy a car.

"Taking me for a joyride? With so many people around, the school will definitely have a speed limit."

"Then we'll go for a joyride at a turtle's pace."

"Enough of that. You'd better think about how to transport your computer back." Xia Yanchun pouted and sighed. "Otherwise, I'll just ask my mom to drive over and pick us both up."

"Is your mom free?"

"If she isn't, she can just swap shifts and take time off."

"That's a lot of trouble. I'll bring your mom two durians tomorrow."

"Why waste money on that? If you have too much money, you can give it to me." Xia Yanchun rolled her eyes, turned over, and started messaging Wen Zhining.

His problem of monetizing his internet traffic had been tentatively solved, and the transportation of his computer was also settled. Shen Nian let out a relaxed sigh, lay down next to Xia Yanchun, and affectionately buried his face in her embrace.

Xia Yanchun didn't really want to pay attention to him, as she was holding her phone up and typing, but with Shen Nian's breath hitting her chest rhythmically, it was really hard for her to ignore it.

Even though Shen Nian was just burying his face honestly without any extra movements, a hint of pink still quietly crept onto her small face.

"My mom agreed. She'll be here around two o'clock tomorrow to pick us up." She tugged on Shen Nian's hair and said softly.

"Looks like we can't sleep in then."

"If I'm not awake by eleven tomorrow, wake me up."

"Okay Chunbao, copy that Chunbao." Without a trace of annoyance in his mind, after snuggling with Xia Yanchun for a bit, Shen Nian felt completely relaxed now.

He reached out and turned off the light, but Xia Yanchun suddenly grew nervous and lowered her voice, "What are you doing? Your sister is still outside. If you turn off the light, won't she know I'm staying the night in your room?!"

"..." So Shen Nian turned the light back on.

Xia Yanchun quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though Sister Shen Yue already knew she often slept with Shen Nian, she still had to pretend a little. Being too blatant about it wasn't good at all.

It wasn't until the noise outside died down and she heard the sound of Shen Yue closing her bedroom door that Xia Yanchun lifted her chin, gesturing for him to turn off the light.

Click.

The room went dark.

Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness and could only make out a blurry silhouette, Xia Yanchun snuggled into his arms before Shen Nian even reached out to pull her in.

"Let's go to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow I want to eat rice noodle rolls with sweet and sour sauce."

"Alright, I'll add some taro paste for you."

"Get lost."

Shen Nian pecked the forehead of the little person in his arms, growing fonder of her the longer he held her.

Shen Nian couldn't remember when he and Xia Yanchun became friends. For as long as he could remember, he and Xia Yanchun were already good friends.

He and Chunbao had been playing together since they could remember. Even before they formed memories, their two mothers surely put him and Xia Yanchun together quite often.

Shen Nian's thoughts drifted back to the past. Xia Yanchun somehow always wanted to be the older sister. What was originally a perfectly good friendship had forcefully morphed into a familial bond, and now it had morphed once again into romance.

Did the wicked little Chun somehow manage to monopolize all three fundamental emotions? Wasn't that crossing a line?

He recommended nerfing Xia Yanchun.

It had been almost nineteen years.

Hmm...

Shen Nian belatedly realized that Xia Yanchun's birthday wasn't far away.

Before their senior year of high school, even though the two of them argued every day, they would still spend their birthdays together.

Each other's birthdays were considered rare truce days. They would eat cake together and even sing the birthday song for one another.

Except for Shen Nian's birthday during the summer vacation of their sophomore year.

One was in the town, and the other was in the city.

After all, something had happened during that vacation that made both of them quite depressed. Because of the awkwardness, Shen Nian didn't even dare to return to the town to see Xia Yanchun.

Thinking back on it, he could still feel the embarrassment from that time.

When the bedroom door opened, it felt like the sky was truly falling.

Fortunately, he managed to secure the girl right next door; otherwise, he would have been teased and held over a barrel for the rest of his life.

As his thoughts strayed further off track, the Chunbao nestled in his arms was overly soft and docile, causing Shen Nian's Adam's apple to bob up and down unconsciously.

"Hmm??"

Sensing Shen Nian's unusual reaction, Xia Yanchun, who had already closed her eyes preparing for a good sleep, paused. She shifted outward, huffing angrily as she distanced herself from him.

"What kind of messy thoughts are running through your head?"

"...Ahem." Shen Nian felt restless. Under the blanket, he quietly grabbed Xia Yanchun's hand. "Chunbao, it's been a few days..."

"Can't you endure it?" Xia Yanchun pouted and grumbled. "You said before that you quit. You were definitely lying to me, weren't you."

"Don't talk nonsense now. There was a long period of time before when I was very disciplined, okay."

"Saying things like that right now is very unconvincing. I don't believe you anyway. It's fine to lie to me, just don't lie to yourself."

"Things are different now compared to before..." Shen Nian leaned in closer, distinctly feeling the unusual heat radiating from Xia Yanchun's body.

If the lights were turned on right now, he would probably see a deeply flushed face.

Sensing no resistance from Xia Yanchun, Shen Nian grew bolder.

With her hand guided by Shen Nian, a soft rustling sound came from beneath the covers. Xia Yanchun slightly narrowed her almond eyes, her mind thrown into complete disarray by him.

What a shame. If she had known, she should have teased him a little first.