“I… I don’t really have any ‘study experience’ worth sharing.”
After entering the standard double room booked by the young master, Shen Yanxing sat nervously on the sofa, his anxious eyes taking in the surroundings.
They called it a “standard” room, but it was far larger and much better equipped than any hotel room Shen Yanxing had ever stayed in before.
“Why?” The young master abruptly yanked open the curtains, revealing the dazzling cityscape glowing outside the window. “Don’t you go to school?”
Shen Yanxing fell silent. Isn’t that a bit too direct? he thought.
“My grades are pretty average. I can’t get into a public high school, and I definitely can’t afford a pricey private one.” Shen Yanxing’s voice grew quieter and quieter. “I’m destined for vocational school… But vocational school isn’t all bad. The tuition is cheap, there’s plenty of free time, and I can take on more part-time jobs.”
Shen Yanxing was sensitive by nature. As he explained, he kept close tabs on the other boy’s subtle facial expressions, asking with extreme caution:
“Would you… look down on vocational school students?”
Though he didn’t know much after only meeting him twice, the other boy’s spending power, refined demeanor, and overall way of carrying himself were a stark reminder of the massive gap between them.
The kind of distant, unreachable gap he could never bridge in a lifetime.
Looking at the boy’s high-end, brand-name windbreaker…a brand Shen Yanxing didn’t even recognize…and then down at his own discounted Nike shoes that he’d worn for two years (now washed out and fraying at the toes), a wave of indescribable shame and self-consciousness welled up in Shen Yanxing’s chest.
He suddenly felt extremely tactless…and shameless.
With a background like that, the young master could easily make plenty of “friends” who were actually on his level, right? Here the guy was, offering friendly help, while Shen Yanxing was sitting here overthinking things and assuming he had ulterior motives.
“Why would I?”
The boy countered with a question, pulling over a desk chair to sit down.
“Academic credentials aren’t symbols used to rank people into classes; character is,” Gu Congjue replied calmly. “Some people genuinely aren’t suited for academics. Going to a trade school to pick up a practical skill actually makes it easier to support a family down the road.
“But you’re different. You could easily earn a better diploma and reach higher ground.”
Having lived through a past life, Gu Congjue knew full well that Shen Yanxing wasn’t built for vocational trade…nor was he meant for academic research. Shen Yanxing was a pure, through and through…
Artistic talent.
The kind who could be invited to sing live by a bar owner on sight, or handpicked by a dance teacher to be taken in as an apprentice.
Gu Congjue still remembered an entry in his notebook. In his past life, Shen Yanxing had wanted to enter an open talent show hosted by a TV station. Top performers got official promotional backing to walk a smooth, stable path into the entertainment industry. But the entry guidelines had made it crystal clear: applicants had to be art students or official company trainees.
Despite Shen Yanxing’s undeniable gift, he didn’t even have the credentials to apply.
“You need to go to high school. Only by getting into high school can you take the artistic college entrance exams and build a better future.”
“…Huh?”
Before Shen Yanxing even had time to be touched by the whole “character is the true symbol” line, he was thrown into total confusion by this relentless academic demon.
Setting aside whether it was expensive, whether he had the foundation or talent, or whether he even wanted to join the entertainment industry… what about the sheer reality of it all? How was he supposed to get into high school in the first place?
“I want to, too,” Shen Yanxing muttered softly. “But I thought I made my situation pretty clear. No local household registration, average grades… I just can’t get in.”
“There will be a way,” Gu Congjue declared, brimming with confidence. “I’ll help you figure it out.”
“Wait, wait, wait—” Seeing that the boy was about to fall back into deep thought, Shen Yanxing quickly cut him off. “Can we do our introductions properly first? You know my name, but I still don’t know yours.”
He had been holding it in the whole way here, and finally found an opening to ask.
“My name is Shen Yanxing…Yan as in speech, Xing as in stars. It’s nice to meet you, and thank you so much for helping me out tonight.” Shen Yanxing pulled out his phone, which was running low on battery. “Shall we add each other on WeChat?”
Gu Congjue nodded, taking out his phone to open WeChat.
Shen Yanxing gave a awkward laugh. “What about you? Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
This guy is so strange, Shen Yanxing thought. It was as if he didn’t care about normal things at all. He didn’t offer his name on his own, nor did he seem bothered by Shen Yanxing’s current struggles…he hadn’t even bothered to ask why Shen Yanxing needed help in the first place!
Ever since stepping into the hotel, all he’d done was chatter on about studying, getting into high school, and applying to art colleges. His sheer passion for academic persuasion put Shen Yanxing’s ninth-grade homeroom teacher to shame.
Even stranger was how people normally introduced themselves. Wouldn’t a normal person do it the way Shen Yanxing just did…saying their name, explaining which characters were used, maybe even explaining the meaning behind it?
Instead, this oddball didn’t say a word. He simply typed his name directly into the WeChat search bar: Gu Congjue.
“Gu… Cong… Jue,” Shen Yanxing read out unconsciously, mulling over the name. “It sounds really nice. Very unique.”
Cong as in “to follow,” Jue as in “determination.” Just like the person himself, the name carried a steadfast, powerful presence.
Yet Gu Congjue paid no mind to the compliment, immediately steering the conversation right back on track: “Can you give me a general idea of your grades? What subjects are you good at, and which ones are you weak in?”
“Um… except for Chinese, I’m pretty bad at everything.
“Out of a total score of 660, I can probably only score around three hundred…” As Shen Yanxing answered, he was still fixated on that minor detail.
His mind wandered: Does Gu Congjue not know the meaning behind his own name?
“You’re decent at Chinese?” Gu Congjue’s eyes lit up. “How decent?”
“I occasionally get high scores?
“Maybe because my reading comprehension is okay. I usually get good marks on reading and essays, and I don’t feel like Chinese exams drain my brain as much.”
“That’s fantastic…thank goodness it’s Chinese!”
Shen Yanxing blinked, stunned. “Huh?”
“I’m bad at Chinese, so I can’t tutor you in that. But for every other subject, I’ve got you covered.”
“Wha—?” Shen Yanxing bolted to his feet in shock. “You want to tutor me?!”
“Yeah.” Gu Congjue nodded. As if worried Shen Yanxing wouldn’t trust his abilities, he added, “Don’t worry. My level is enough to rank first in the entire city…I’ve never placed second in my grade, only first.
“Aside from Chinese, tutoring you will be more than easy for me.”
Shen Yanxing wore a pained expression, wanting to refuse but not knowing how to explain: “But I don’t even want tutoring? I don’t want to go to high school…it costs time and money. Besides, I only asked you to help me find a place to crash, how did it suddenly—”
How did I suddenly end up with a personal tutor out of nowhere?!
Gu Congjue completely ignored his objections, talking right over him. “How many days are you staying at the hotel?”
“How many days?” Shen Yanxing was bewildered again. “Can I even stay for multiple days? I don’t know… I’m not sure how long things at home will take to settle.
“Ideally just one night, and I’ll leave tomorrow? That way I won’t cause you too much trouble.”
Gu Congjue let out a soft sigh. “Don’t do that. How about staying a few more days?
“Stay a few extra days, and I’ll bring all my practice workbooks here to tutor you on two subjects a day. Leaving out Chinese, there are eight subjects…we can solidify all your fundamentals in just four days.”
Shen Yanxing, who wasn’t particularly fond of studying, instantly deflated. “Do I really have to learn…? The high school application window is already closed, and the entrance exams are over. What’s the point of tutoring now?”
“Late admissions!” Gu Congjue stated with firm, undeniable authority. “There are still late admissions. Besides those, you can also try some internal school entrance exams.
“Your artistic talent is more than enough. You can get special admission as an art student.”
As he spoke, Gu Congjue suddenly remembered Ellington School’s Art Student Support Program!
Ellington was full of wealthy kids, many of whom harbored dreams of becoming big stars through singing and dancing. To satisfy those students and their parents, the school had established a specialized arts track.
For the loaded school management, finding teachers wasn’t hard…getting the arts track to produce top results in a short period was the real challenge. Because of that, Ellington had begun actively recruiting outside talent. As long as a student met their high standards, Ellington would waive most of their fees.
“You can come to Ellington…come study at my school!”
Gu Congjue grew increasingly excited the more he thought about it.
“My school has great facilities! It would be even better if you could get most of your fees waived!
“But even so, you’ll still need someone to cover your basic living expenses…and that money can’t come from your family.”
Gu Congjue was thinking so fast that Shen Yanxing couldn’t keep up with his train of thought at all.
While Shen Yanxing was still wondering, What kind of school is Ellington? Sounds intense… Gu Congjue was already plotting how to get his own unreliable parents to willingly pay for Shen Yanxing’s education.
How should he pull it off?
“Let’s pretend to date.”
Gu Congjue dropped the bombshell.
“We’ll say that we’re head over heels for each other, deeply in love, and that I’ll only ever accept you and you’ll only accept me! From the perspective of taking care of their future daughter-in-law/son-in-law, my parents will definitely be willing to fund you and sponsor your studies at Ellington!”
Unable to keep up with Gu Congjue’s lightning-fast logic, Shen Yanxing took a long moment to process everything through his completely bewildered brain. Finally, he grasped the gist of this weirdo’s crazy scheme.
“Are you saying… you want me to fake-date you as middle school sweethearts to trick your parents into paying for my education?” Shen Yanxing asked, utterly incredulous.
“It’s not really tricking them,” Gu Congjue replied in all seriousness. “If I get the chance to bring you to meet my parents, they’ll be more than happy to sponsor you…you’re the kind of ‘descendant’ that actually meets their standards and expectations!”
A true artistic talent who could carry on their legacy!
“Huh?” Shen Yanxing was still completely lost. “So… my whole future just got planned out by you, just like that? I literally just came out to work a part-time job, and suddenly I have to take high school entrance exams, apply as an art student, and fake-date you?”
Shen Yanxing felt it was absurd…beyond absurd!
What kind of person had he just run into?!
Whether it was a flaw in Shen Yanxing’s expression or Gu Congjue’s own lack of social awareness, the sheer speechlessness and absurdity Shen Yanxing expressed was somehow interpreted as fear.
“Don’t be scared!” Gu Congjue gave Shen Yanxing a firm, dependable look. “I’ll be right there with you!
“I’ll accompany you through the art exams, and we’ll step into the entertainment industry together!”