As He Li happily munched on the cookies Miao Xiaoyu made, she took the initiative to ask about his preferred universities. That was, after all, the main reason she had come today. She wanted to go to the same university as He Li!
He Li naturally understood what she was thinking. With both of their exam scores, they could pretty much pick any university in the country. But even so, not all universities were the same—faculty and resources varied, so they couldn’t choose blindly. Besides, although Miao Xiaoyu wanted to follow him, He Li knew she actually had other options.
In his previous life, Miao Xiaoyu had made her own choice. In this life, she was willing to give up her goal for him. But that really wasn’t necessary. After all, the university she originally chose wasn’t bad at all…
Thinking back to his past life, He Li smiled slightly. Miao Xiaoyu didn’t understand what he was thinking and pressed again, “Well? Have you decided which university you want to go to?”
“Yeah, I have,” He Li nodded.
Her eyes lit up. “Which one?”
“Want to know?” He Li smiled playfully.
“Stop teasing and just tell me!” Miao Xiaoyu pouted.
“Alright, alright!” He Li shrugged. “Zhejiang University. What do you think?” he said as he stood and walked to the fridge to pour them both a cup of coconut milk drink.
“Zhejiang University?” Miao Xiaoyu was surprised. “Why not Qinghua or Beida?”
“Qinghua and Beida?” He Li curled his lip but didn’t bother explaining. Some things hadn’t happened yet. Even if he said those schools weren’t as great as people thought, no one would believe him right now. So he simply responded with a half-smile, “Zhejiang University isn’t much weaker than those two. Besides, success depends on personal effort. If you don’t put in the work, even the best university won’t help.”
“Of course, I do personally like Zhejiang University. But there’s another reason I want to go there too.”
Miao Xiaoyu blinked. “What reason?”
He Li pushed the coconut milk toward her and said, “Back in our first year of high school, someone told me she wanted to go to Zhejiang University. I figured she might be lonely, so I thought I’d tag along and keep her company.”
Miao Xiaoyu froze.
Her mind flashed back to the year she transferred schools in her first year. She had chosen that school because of He Li, and the two quickly became friends, often chatting with each other. At the time, He Li and Liu Yuyan weren’t particularly close yet. She and He Li had gotten along well and once talked about their dreams and plans for the future. She thought He Li had long forgotten those conversations… but he hadn’t.
“You… you still remember?” Miao Xiaoyu’s voice trembled.
He Li nodded jokingly and lifted his drink, “Come on, take a sip to calm your nerves!” This story is hosted at novelping.com.
Miao Xiaoyu’s eyes turned red with emotion as she cupped the glass in her hands like a kitten and took a small sip. The coconut milk was sweet—but her heart was even sweeter. He Li remembered what she liked. He remembered what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to go. That meant more to her than any compliment ever could.
Just as she was feeling deeply moved, she suddenly noticed something odd. The drink He Li gave her… tasted better than anything she’d bought from a bubble tea shop. “Where did you buy this?” she finally couldn’t resist asking. Her lips left a faint white mark on the cup.
Watching her lick her lips with her little pink tongue, He Li fought off the impure thoughts in his mind and shook his head, “You can’t buy it anywhere. I made it myself.”
“You made this?” Miao Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled. “Can… can you teach me?”
“Of course,” He Li replied. What he didn’t say was that in his previous life, it was Miao Xiaoyu who taught him how to make it. So in a way, teaching her now was like returning the favor.
As he pondered this, Miao Xiaoyu grinned like a little fox. He Li had promised to teach her, but whether she actually learned or not… that was another matter. After all, if she never learned it properly, wouldn’t that give her a reason to keep pestering He Li? And it would be a perfectly justified reason too!
Hehe, when I brought the lunchbox over today, I was wondering what excuse I could use to visit him in the future. I didn’t expect to find the perfect one so soon! And it’s one I can use long-term! Hehehe~ Miao Xiaoyu’s eyes practically turned into crescent moons from smiling.
He Li had no idea what she was suddenly so happy about, but she looked beautiful when she smiled—and he was happy to keep watching.
Still, Miao Xiaoyu couldn’t stay too long. In the evening, her cousin called, and she had no choice but to let He Li walk her home, though she clearly didn’t want to leave…
…
“Zhejiang University? Are you seriously picking Zhejiang University?”
The next morning, on the way to school, Wu Gang stared at He Li in disbelief.
He Li curled his lip. “What’s so surprising?”
“I mean… you’re not picking Qinghua or Beida?” Wu Gang asked again.
“You’re asking the same thing Xiaoyu did,” He Li said, shaking his head.
“So how did you answer her?” Wu Gang asked curiously.
“Don’t ask. Knowing too much isn’t good for you,” He Li grinned, while Wu Gang looked full of doubt.
That said, he was pretty happy—because his dream school was also Zhejiang University. If He Li went too, they could still be classmates and get rich together someday.
The two of them chatted as they walked, picking up Miao Xiaoyu along the way to return to school and fill out their university applications.
When they arrived at the school gate, He Li noticed the red banner hanging across the entrance. It congratulated him for becoming the provincial top scorer. Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
Inside the school, all the students who knew He Li looked at him with newfound admiration. Whispers of amazement and envy came from every direction.
“Tsk, 719 points! Who would’ve thought the Shuzhou top scorer came from our school?”
“Hehe, I was in the same year as the provincial champ.”
“I can brag about that now!”
“Oh please, if anyone’s bragging, it should be me.”
“I was in the same class as He Li. If he becomes rich and famous, maybe he’ll remember his old classmates and take us along!”
“Agh, if I’d known he had such potential, I would’ve tried harder to win him over!”
“Sis, dream on. Take a good look in the mirror first!”
“Say, you think Liu Yuyan regrets it?”
“Seriously? She dumped the top scorer, and I heard he’s already starting a business. He might end up super rich. If I were Liu Yuyan, I’d be crying in the hospital right now!”
…
Hearing all the chatter around him and enjoying the admiring, respectful, and envious gazes from his classmates, He Li, though already experiencing this all over again, still had to admit, It feels amazing!
But not everyone was feeling great. Not far behind him, Li Lingjie and Liu Yuyan had also just arrived at school. Their moods couldn’t have been worse. Li Lingjie was fuming with helpless resentment. Liu Yuyan was filled with regret and frustration, nearly moved to tears.
How was I supposed to know He Li had such potential? He always seemed like just a bookworm! If he had shown his strengths earlier, maybe I would’ve accepted his confession. This isn’t my fault—it’s his for hiding it…
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She suddenly sped up and ran in front of He Li, cutting off his moment of glory, and questioned him tearfully, “He Li, why didn’t you say anything before if you’re so amazing? If I had known earlier, I would’ve said yes! You nearly made me lose you!”
As soon as those shameless words came out, the entire crowd fell silent…