The Jiang family villa was as desolate as ever; except for Jiang Yan, the other master of the house rarely stayed overnight. Tonight, however, the villa felt a little more spirited.
Jiang Yan listened to the commotion inside, his expression tinged with surprise. He pushed the door open and, as expected, found a familiar, uninvited guest.
Ji Qingshi was reclining lazily on the sofa, snacks in hand. Upon seeing Jiang Yan, he greeted him with a naturalness that suggested he was the owner of the house rather than a visitor.
“You’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for ages.”
Jiang Yan looked at him coldly. “Are you that idle?”
Ji Qingshi gave a playful tsk. “Can’t I show some concern for you?” He shifted his posture, watching Jiang Yan with keen interest. “The Research Institute said you rushed off today before finishing your examination. What could possibly make you that frantic?”
Jiang Yan cast a sidelong glance at him but remained silent.
Accustomed to this cold shoulder, Ji Qingshi didn’t press him. Instead, he began to speculate: “Let me think… I haven’t heard any news of bugs appearing nearby. So that leaves… that little Junior of yours?”
Jiang Yan’s movements paused. Seeing this, Ji Qingshi knew he had hit the mark. His gaze instantly turned suggestive. “Oh ho~”
“Someone once said he wasn’t interested. I wonder who it is that’s now running off in a hurry and not returning until the middle of the night?”
Jiang Yan frowned. “It’s not about that.”
Ji Qingshi shrugged, mimicked zipping his lips, and then added, “Then you can at least tell me what you were doing out so late. The butler told me you’ve been coming home at this hour quite often recently.”
Jiang Yan poured a glass of water and sat down on the sofa. Knowing Ji Qingshi wouldn’t stop until he got an answer, he briefly summarized the situation.
The smile on Ji Qingshi’s face gradually faded. He leaned against the sofa, brow furrowed. “In that case, the Xie family won’t let him go easily.”
Jiang Yan took a sip of water, his voice flat. “They’ll let him go, whether they want to or not.”
Ji Qingshi froze for a second, then raised an eyebrow. He gave a mocking “tsk-tsk,” his fox-like eyes filled with playful mirth.
Ignoring him, Jiang Yan set his glass down calmly and headed upstairs.
…
Having managed to deal with the Xie family, Xie Guanning thought he would finally have some peace. He didn’t expect that the flood of troubles had only just begun.
The next morning, while he was still drifting in a deep sleep, his terminal began to buzz incessantly. Xie Guanning’s brow furrowed tightly; he buried his head under the covers, but he couldn’t block out the annoying sound.
Taking a deep breath, he snapped his eyes open. It wasn’t even nine o’clock. Heaven knew that since the holidays began, Xie Guanning had never seen the sun at 9 AM.
The caller ID showed an unknown number. He answered with a grumpy tone, only to hear a gentle voice on the other end: “Is this student Xie Guanning?”
After listening patiently for a while, he realized it was another university’s admissions team. They offered a very generous scholarship and asked if he was interested in applying. He suppressed his morning grumpiness, politely declined, and hung up.
He tossed the terminal aside and collapsed back onto the bed, pulling the covers over himself to resume his sleep. But before he could even close his eyes for two minutes, the terminal rang again.
Irritated, he checked the terminal. Another new number.
Xie Guanning spent the entire morning answering calls. By the end, he had lost his temper entirely; the phrase “Is this student Xie Guanning?” was looping in his brain like a curse.
When noon came and the terminal rang once more, he didn’t even look at the ID. He just pressed it to his ear and let out a weary groan. “Hello?”
“Hello, student Xie Guanning. We are from the Imperial University admissions office. We contacted you yesterday.”
Xie Guanning’s eyelids flickered. “Oh, yes.”
The female voice on the other end was exceptionally gentle. “So, have you considered our proposal from yesterday? Or, if it’s convenient, our professors can visit your school for a detailed face-to-face talk. We will do our best to meet any requirements you have.”
Xie Guanning was silent for a moment before saying slowly, “I’m sorry, but I already have a school in mind.”
There was a noticeable pause on the other end. “I see. Our school’s comprehensive strength is among the top in the Empire, and we are located on the Capital Star, which is very advantageous. May I ask which school you are interested in? Tianqi? Or Mander?”
Tianqi and Mander were both renowned top-tier universities, though not on the Capital Star. Their prestige was comparable to Imperial University.
“Neither,” Xie Guanning said. “The school I want to attend is the Imperial First Military Academy.”
There was a long silence. Eventually, a shaky voice drifted through: “Pardon me, Student Xie, let me just confirm—you said the Imperial First Military Academy?”
Xie Guanning: “That’s correct.”
The woman on the other end took a sharp breath, momentarily speechless. If he had chosen Tianqi or Mander, they would have been confident they could steal him away; they were well-versed in the annual “top scholar wars.”
But… a military academy?
“Uh, Student Xie,” her voice sounded strained. “You see, with scores as high as yours, you could pick any school you want. Going to a military academy, wouldn’t it be a bit…” She wanted to say “a waste,” but felt it was inappropriate. She finished lamely, “You have so many options; won’t you reconsider?”
Xie Guanning said, “The military academy has always been my goal. I’m only interested in military schools.”
“I appreciate your school’s offer, but I’m sorry.”
The other side went completely silent. After a while, she said reluctantly, “That’s all right. There is still a long time before applications close. You can think about it slowly. If you ever become interested in our school, feel free to contact me.”
Xie Guanning hung up and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As more calls trickled in later, he simply and bluntly stated his intentions. This left the callers speechless; some even muttered that he was out of his mind for “wasting” such good grades on a military school. Xie Guanning didn’t bother to argue but blacklisted those numbers the moment he hung up.
The world finally fell quiet.
Perhaps because he had made his stance clear and the universities had communicated with each other, the calls gradually became fewer. He finally had time to order takeout.
The phone rang again just as he had opened his food. He took a comforting bite to soothe his starving stomach and gave a muffled, “Hello?”
There was a moment of silence. Xie Guanning raised an eyebrow, thinking someone had dialed the wrong number. He was about to check the caller ID when he heard a faint, barely audible chuckle from the other end.
“Eating?”
Xie Guanning froze. The scenes from last night flooded back into his mind, and his ears turned a shade of red. He forced his voice to remain calm. “Yeah.”
He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of noodles as the person on the phone asked, “Just woke up?”
Xie Guanning let out a sigh. “Don’t even get me started. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since nine this morning.”
“That sounds lively,” Jiang Yan’s voice carried a hint of a smile.
Xie Guanning curled his lip. “Why don’t you try it yourself?”
“Mm,” Jiang Yan murmured. “I don’t think I’ll get the chance.”
Xie Guanning poked at his noodles. It was a shop he frequented, but for some reason, he had no appetite after two bites. The smell even made him feel slightly nauseous. He set his chopsticks down and, hearing the rustling sounds from the other end, couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you?”
Jiang Yan looked at the researchers passing by. “The Research Institute.”
He had left yesterday’s treatment halfway through, so the Institute had forced him back today to finish it. He didn’t usually care about these things, but thinking about his temporary pheromone instability last night, he had decided to come.
Xie Guanning understood and tactfully didn’t pry. He changed the subject: “By the way, I’ve already declared that I’m only going to the Imperial First Military Academy. How come no one from there has contacted me yet? Or do they just not care about one student?”
Jiang Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “How could they not?”
The Imperial First Military Academy was indeed aloof, but they were very serious about recruiting elite students. The reason they hadn’t reacted yet was that they hadn’t dared to imagine a top scholar would actually apply to a military school. In previous years, the best students they recruited were usually ranked around tenth or lower.
Xie Guanning said, “Now that so many schools know, it feels like I’m the one chasing them. It would be embarrassing if they ended up not wanting me.” He packed up his takeout and tossed it in the trash, planning to take it down later.
Woken up so early and having not slept well, he was starting to feel drowsy again as he sat there.
Jiang Yan said, “It’s a major matter, after all. They have to confirm things carefully.”
Pleased by this explanation, Xie Guanning drifted back toward his bed. His voice sounded lazy. “I like the sound of that.”
Jiang Yan’s expression softened. Beside him, a researcher in a white lab coat watched his gentle expression, eyes wide with undisguised shock.
Neither spoke for a moment. Xie Guanning lay on the bed, listening to the faint sounds from Jiang Yan’s end. He blinked and suddenly asked, “Are you busy right now?”
Jiang Yan’s tone rose slightly in a questioning “Mm?”
Xie Guanning said, “If you aren’t busy, don’t hang up. It’ll keep my line busy so those people won’t keep calling me.”
Jiang Yan chuckled. Xie Guanning buried his head in the pillow and mumbled, “I’m so sleepy.”
Call after call and he couldn’t even complain since calling at 9 AM wasn’t technically considered early.
Jiang Yan asked, “Aren’t you afraid of missing the call from the Military Academy?”
Xie Guanning paused, then said, “Well, am I not worth their wait?”
“You are,” Jiang Yan said. “Of course, you are.”