Looking at the spirited Xia Yuanji, Song Lei’s mood was a bit bitter, "We both took the college entrance exam, but you seem so relaxed about it."
Xia Yuanji took Song Lei’s hand, leading her protectively towards the car, "It wasn’t a very difficult exam for me."
Ah, such a typical Xia Yuanji response. Song Lei knew that for some, the college entrance exam might feel challenging, but for him, not so much.
"I’m going to take a bath when I get back, then rest properly."
Still, it was the college entrance exam, and there was a bit of nervousness, "Okay."
Xia Yuanji was actually a bit tired too. In the last few days, apart from dealing with the exam, he was also swamped with official business.
After a two-day break, he would start to get busy again. He needed to catch up on the progress that had been delayed.
"When are you planning to get busy?" Xia Yuanji hadn’t said, but Song Lei knew he was about to start his hectic schedule.
As his official girlfriend, even though she couldn’t share his workload, she could accompany him on business trips.
Of course, that meant while he was busy with work, she would entertain herself by playing tourist.
"It depends, maybe tomorrow, the day after at the latest." Xia Yuanji actually really hoped Song Lei could join him on his business trip.
But he couldn’t bring himself to voice that desire; his trips were no leisure. It wasn’t about shifting cities daily, but there was definitely no time for outings and fun.
Join him in his work grind? He couldn’t bear it, and Song Lei would never agree.
"So you’re leaving tomorrow." Song Lei thought for a moment, "Remember to have your secretary book a flight ticket for me."
Ah? Was it as he hoped? Was Song Lei willing to accompany him on a business trip?
Xia Yuanji looked at Song Lei in surprise, and she nodded, "But let’s get this straight, I’m only accompanying you on your trip."
"As for negotiations and such, I won’t be involved. I’m there to keep you company, you do your work, and I’ll go sightseeing."
Her main goal was to exploit her boyfriend’s name to go on scenic tours, oh, and to indulge in good food.
"And if you’re going abroad, you have to sort out the visa," she instructed.
Song Lei made it clear that she was only responsible for tagging along, and then enjoying various recreational activities.
Xia Yuanji didn’t mind her reasons for joining him; he was happy that his girlfriend would be by his side.
"Of course, no problem." Xia Yuanji was so delighted he almost skipped as he walked.
Chiang Yi was at the same examination center as them. He was discussing answers with his classmates when he didn’t notice at first, until a familiar voice caught his attention, prompting him to look up.
Seeing Song Lei nestling in Xia Yuanji’s arms, Chiang Yi, who felt good about the exam, suddenly seemed to deflate.
The others noticed his expression and refrained from teasing him; the poor guy had been through enough.
A friend patted his shoulder, "It’ll be better once you get into university."
Time and distance would help him forget a lot.
"It’ll be better in university," Chiang Yi knew what his friend meant, but he didn’t feel he would forget Song Lei, "I want to work a part-time job this summer."
His friend had been considering where to go for fun. No matter the results, this year had been tough; they deserved to indulge and comfort themselves a bit.
To his surprise, Chiang Yi was planning to work, "You, why do you want to go work?"
"I want to make money." The old Chiang Yi never thought about making money, at least not during his student days. He knew the importance of money.
He just felt he was a student and shouldn’t be rushing to make money so early. There would be plenty of time for that in adult life.
But recent experiences taught him the importance of money and that if he ever wanted to face Song Lei again, he had to work hard to earn it.
The friend stared at Chiang Yi for a long time, recalling his previous words, "You’re not trying to catch up with the Xia Family, are you?"
Initially, they didn’t know the background of the Xia family, but over time, word gets around among classmates.
There might be families more formidable than the Xia’s, but to ordinary people like them, the Xia’s wealth was oppressive enough.
"I...," Chiang Yi wanted to say, couldn’t he surpass the Xia family with enough effort?
But then he thought of Xia Yuanji’s achievements, the school he attended, especially his influential friends; networking was not something Chiang Yi could match.
"Chiang Yi, what are you thinking? It’s a height we might never reach even if we strive our entire lives."
"If Xia Yuanji was just a playboy, you might have had a chance."
"But look at how easily he handles his studies," his friend recalled a conversation overheard on a recent outing.
He whispered into Chiang Yi’s ear, "Even though he’s in class, he still manages company matters."
Chiang Yi looked at his friend in surprise. Could he truly surpass someone like Xia Yuanji, who juggled studies and business so effortlessly?
His friend gently patted his shoulder, "I know you’re not content, but it was you who didn’t cherish Song Lei."
"Now she has chosen someone good for her, you should just wish them well."
"And after the breakup, she didn’t badmouth you, nor did she chase you for money."
The friend thought about the other guys in their grade, some seemed to have learned from Song Lei’s pursuit of Chiang Yi and aimed for girls with some family wealth.
Most girls, of course, wouldn’t go down Song Lei’s path, but there would always be some who were love-struck and willing to make significant investments for what they believed to be true love.
It would have been simpler to choose a generous girl, but this guy was greedier, or perhaps he felt the girls were not as fawning as Song Lei.
Thinking quantity could make up for quality, he got involved with several girls simultaneously, including some from other schools, to keep it secret.
Eventually, for some reason, things capsized, the consequences severe, especially for a high school senior so close to the college entrance exam. The girls coordinated their revenge just before the exam.
Chiang Yi had heard about the incident, "I’m different from him."
He never thought about two-timing, "Plus, the girls he chose don’t seem easy to talk to."
"They’re nothing compared to Song Lei." Now, Chiang Yi thought Song Lei was as good as they come.
Song Lei, of course, knew that most students at the exam center were from her school and that Chiang Yi was there too.
They hadn’t bumped into each other in the previous exams, and she thought they wouldn’t meet today, on the last one either.
But unexpectedly, at the end of the final exam, they came across each other.
Song Lei had certainly heard Chiang Yi’s remarks about her and scoffed, "Hypocritical."
Thinking she was good just because she didn’t make a scene; she was a decent girl.
She wanted to say that she didn’t create a fuss, not for his benefit, but to decisively sever all ties and prevent everyone from watching a drama unfold.
She hadn’t spoken out before, and now that they were out of high school, she wouldn’t bother to become their topic of gossip.