You Have No Idea What I've Been Through

On the other side.

After returning to the classroom, Long Aotian and Hu Yuying immediately felt countless gazes fall upon them.

Hu Yuying might not have understood, but Long Aotian knew very well that such looks were a form of attention.

Perhaps it was the first time they had seen someone who had been called away by the homeroom teacher return with a smile, unscathed.

Long Aotian straightened his back and gave a slight nod to the classmates looking his way.

Then, with a bit of swagger, he led Hu Yuying back to their seats.

Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian discreetly, not quite understanding why he was so pleased with himself.

Unable to figure it out, she decided to just go along with his mood and feel a bit proud too.

This incident was just a small episode in the fast-paced life of their senior year.

Soon, everyone who had hopes pinned on the college entrance exam threw themselves back into a new round of studying.

Long Aotian was no exception.

Life seemed to return to its usual calm, and the following days felt like they were on repeat.

Every morning, he would go to Hu Yuying’s house for breakfast, then they would head to school together. While working hard to solve problems, they also kept learning. In the evening, he would walk Hu Yuying back to the entrance of her alley, then go home to shower and sleep.

During this time, Long Aotian’s scores in two small tests improved from 318 to 389.

This progress genuinely made his classmates see him in a new light.

At the same time, more people began to take notice of Hu Yuying.

After all, if even someone like Long Aotian could improve his grades with her help, who wouldn’t want to study with her?

The number of classmates wanting to study with her was no longer limited to just a few.

As a result, Long Aotian’s bathroom breaks started to get longer and longer.

Of course, seeing Hu Yuying gradually change still brought him some joy.

From the beginning, when Hu Yuying had to approach others to try and fit into their small groups,

to now, where she had become the center of a group, with others trying to fit in around her.

Every time he saw this, Long Aotian couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

It was like a dusty pearl that he had slowly polished, revealing the beauty that had always been there.

But with this change, some troubles also began to surface.

As Hu Yuying became more optimistic, cheerful, and confident, she naturally attracted more attention.

Her innocent yet alluring face, combined with her gentle and soft demeanor, made her the ideal type for many teenage boys.

After all, who wouldn’t want a smart, beautiful, and kind girl like her?

Seeing the young guys who would blush just from talking to Hu Yuying,

Long Aotian couldn’t help but feel like the little cabbage he had nurtured was about to be snatched away by some pigs.

But there was no way he could outright say this, so he could only hint to Hu Yuying, telling her to focus on her studies and not think about anything unrelated before the college entrance exam.

Hu Yuying, being extremely obedient to him, would answer questions from boys if they were academic, but if they tried to flirt or say something unrelated, she would pretend not to hear or see them.

This greatly satisfied Long Aotian’s ego. See? This is my little follower, who listens only to me!

“Long Aotian, after all this time, you must have a good idea of your academic performance, right? Which university are you planning to apply to?”

“Probably somewhere in the Bay Area or nearby cities,” Long Aotian had done some research during this time. “Of course, if I don’t get in, I’ll have to go further away.”

Hu Yuying nodded softly and let out a quiet “Mm,” then lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

After a while, she asked in a small voice, “Long Aotian, have you ever thought about going to university in Capital City?”

Hearing this, Long Aotian chuckled. “You’re giving me too much credit, aren’t you?”

“What about you? I remember your first choice is Capital City A University, right? Do you think you can get in?”

Hu Yuying didn’t answer directly but instead said, “Long Aotian, you haven’t even tried. How do you know you can’t get in?”

“You should believe in yourself.”

This reminded him of what his father had said.

Back then, his father had spent a lot of money, pulling strings and begging for favors, just to send the original Long Aotian to study in Capital City, hoping he could establish himself in the big city.

Even if he couldn’t make it and had to come back, at least he would have a degree from Capital City and some internship experience there, making it easier to find a decent job.

Capital City was a fascinating place.

Older generations might never have set foot in Capital City, but the name itself carried immense weight in their minds.

For the younger generation, Capital City was a place full of dreams and aspirations...

“Alright, I’ll give it my best shot. If I get in, great. If not, it’s not the end of the world.”

“Mm.” Hu Yuying nodded, a glimmer of a smile in her eyes.

Soon, she handed her notebook to Long Aotian.

Looking at the problems on the page, Long Aotian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hu Yuying. “What are you doing? It’s my break time.”

“Just write, Long Aotian. Do some more problems.”

“You’re pushing it. Even during my break, you’re trying to squeeze more out of me?”

Hu Yuying took out a lollipop. “Long Aotian.”

“Don’t even try that. Don’t think I won’t scold you just because you’re acting cute. I’m not falling for it!”

In the following days, Long Aotian learned what it meant to squeeze water out of a sponge. If you squeeze hard enough, you can always get a few more drops!

In another grade-wide test,

Long Aotian scored 420 points.

This result stunned everyone in Class 7.

Especially Wang Shuo, who didn’t even wait for Long Aotian to come over and show off before he went over himself, carefully examining Long Aotian’s total score.

He looked at it as if it were some priceless treasure.

“How did you do it?”

Long Aotian looked up at Wang Shuo. “You want to learn?”

“Damn!” Wang Shuo took a step back when he saw Long Aotian’s exhausted, hollowed-out appearance.

But Long Aotian beckoned him closer. “Come here. I’ll teach you.”

Wang Shuo instinctively shook his head. “I think I’ll pass.”

......

Saturday morning.

This was Long Aotian’s leisure time.

Solving problems was tedious and mentally draining.

Long Aotian felt like his brain had been in a constant state of tension during this period.

Lying on the grass, the comfortable feeling made him sigh in relief.

But the improvement in his grades during this time was undeniable.

There were no shortcuts in science subjects—just continuous practice, practice, and more practice.

By now, even the sight of Hu Yuying pulling out her little notebook gave him a sense of dread.

Sensing someone approaching,

Long Aotian rolled over, changing his position. He knew who it was, but he really didn’t want to waste his precious leisure time.

Li Qingxue crouched down, looking at Long Aotian’s back, and poked him with her finger.

“Stop it.”

Li Qingxue covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. It was just too amusing.

She poked him again. “You’ve made a lot of progress this time. You broke 400 points.”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through!”

Li Qingxue stifled a laugh and poked him once more. “Wake up. I brought something good. Take a look...”