Chapter 48

Yan Xiao and Qiu Li had tied for first place, dual science champions, sending all of Rong City into an uproar.
Even though grades didn’t necessarily define one’s future, being the top scorer in the national college entrance exams was still an achievement everyone respected.
What made it more incredible was that they both came from elite families and yet still worked hard enough to top the charts. That kind of brilliance caught everyone off guard.
And when netizens dug deeper and discovered that these two were the same pair of adorable kids who went viral ten years ago on Yanwen Elementary School’s opening day, the story exploded across the internet.
Someone even dug up the old news clip, the one where a tiny girl proudly declared, “I’m almost six!” and the little boy beside her said solemnly, “I’m in the gifted class. I got first place.”
The footage resurfaced online, and when compared to the strikingly talented teenagers they’d grown into, everyone was both shocked and sentimental.
“Oh my god! I watched these babies grow up! They’re adults now!”
“That little boy really turned out handsome, an overachieving heartthrob, no less!”
“Why do I feel this weird motherly pride even though I’m only a few years older than them?!”
“Qiu Li, right?! Look here, sweetheart, your big sister has been waiting ten years for you! You grew up so fine!”
“The little girl’s smile is so sweet, her eyes are gorgeous, but instead of being jealous, I just feel proud. Wait no, I’m unworthy!”
“They’ve grown up!! THEY’VE GROWN UP!!!”

The internet being what it was, it didn’t take long before people pieced together their entire timeline: childhood friends, study partners, friendly rivals all through high school. Someone even unearthed posts from the Yanwen Academy forum chronicling their battle for the top spot in senior year.
Smart, hardworking, good-looking, and rich, it was, as one commenter put it, “a dimensionality reduction strike.”
“Let me tell you a horror story: people better than you work harder than you, and you still can’t catch up.”
Reading about their fierce yet inspiring academic rivalry, netizens sighed in unison: being extraordinary wasn’t luck, it was effort.
“My god, this is the most perfect childhood-friends-to-lovers setup ever! I’ve already mentally written a 100k-word fluff novel about them, don’t stop me!”
“Girl, hand me the pen, I’ll write it!”
“Drop the title, I’m buying it day one!”
Compared to the Qiu family’s shock, the Yan family’s joy, the celebration at Yanwen, and the internet’s collective meltdown, the two top scorers themselves were remarkably calm.
Still, even if she shared the title, Yan Xiao was genuinely happy. After all, it was real, she had earned it with her own effort.
But while everyone around her, her grandparents, parents, uncle, and aunt, buzzed with excitement over planning a grand banquet, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
All she could think about was the same question: My points are maxed. When’s the “right moment”? When will I be sent back?
She waited through college applications, through the acceptance letter, all the way until term began, and still, nothing happened.
When she stepped onto the campus of T University beside Qiu Li, holding her admission notice, she felt a strange calm and a faint spark of anticipation.
Whatever, she thought. At least my points are full. My life should be safe now. If I don’t know when that “moment” will come, I might as well make the most of this chance.
She reasoned that if her memories from the real world had carried over here, then everything she learned here would carry back too. So she might as well study hard. If she could take home the knowledge of T University’s top program, it’d be a massive advantage no matter what she did later.
And so, uncertain when the “moment” would come, Yan Xiao threw herself into her studies with an almost feverish determination.
From day one, she solidified her “academic genius” reputation.
If she wasn’t in class, she was in the library, or shadowing some big-name researcher in their lab. Qiu Li had assumed that once she got to university, she’d relax a bit, enjoy life more, stop grinding like she had during senior year.
He was wrong.
She worked even harder, as if racing against time itself.
He didn’t understand it, but having someone so brilliant and diligent by his side only made him work harder too.
At T University, a place overflowing with prodigies and valedictorians, there were plenty of top students, but none who had gone viral twice, a decade apart, for being both beautiful and brilliant.
Word spread fast, and soon, even in a campus full of geniuses, Yan Xiao the Study Legend became something of a myth.
But Yan Xiao didn’t care about the attention. She devoured knowledge like a starving child, endlessly learning, endlessly waiting, for the mysterious signal that never came.
Three years passed just like that.
That morning, the sky outside was still dark when her PhD-track roommate burst into the room fresh from an all-nighter in the lab. “Qiu Li’s waiting downstairs for you!”
Yan Xiao fumbled blindly for her phone, pulling it under the covers to check the time. It wasn’t even seven yet.
She got up, glanced out the window. “Why’s it still so dark?”
“Cloudy,” her roommate replied through the sound of running water. “Probably going to rain. It’s cold too, bundle up.”
“Got it.” Yan Xiao flipped out of bed quickly.
Her family had bought her an apartment near campus, but she’d refused to move in, insisting the dorms were more convenient.
Qiu Li had planned to live together off-campus for the same reason, it’d be easier for them both, but when she refused, he’d dropped the idea without complaint.
Now, after years of studying like her life depended on it, she had already finished her undergraduate credits early and gotten a guaranteed spot in grad school. At twenty-one, she was technically a first-year master’s student, but younger than some freshmen.
Her decision to stay for grad school had even surprised Qiu Li; he’d already prepared applications for overseas universities so they could study abroad together. But when she chose to stay, he quietly gave that up too.
Not that he needed more schooling. He’d learned most of the content long ago, thanks to the mysterious “system” in his head. But whether it was applying abroad or staying at T University, he’d only ever had one reason: her.
After washing up, Yan Xiao threw on a cool black biker jacket, slung her backpack over one shoulder, and headed downstairs.
Graduate students had professional courses to attend, and today’s were two important ones.
Outside, by the small garden near the dorm, stood Qiu Li: all long legs and broad shoulders, breakfast bag in hand.
Even after nearly two months of showing up at the dorm every morning, he still drew glances, curious, admiring, sometimes envious.
“You’re early,” Yan Xiao said, jogging up to take the breakfast from him. “Didn’t I tell you seven-thirty’s fine?”
She’d also told him he didn’t need to bring her breakfast every day, that they could just meet in class, but Qiu Li never listened.
“Woke up early,” he replied simply. “Figured I’d come straight here.”
She didn’t press it. Sipping her warm oatmeal milk, she nodded. “Alright. How’s the company? Need help?”
She truly didn’t know where he found the time or energy. Keeping up with her studies alone was exhausting, but somehow, Qiu Li had managed to start three companies during college, making her feel like a glorified bookworm with zero talent for business.
His eyes lit up with amusement. “You want to join?”
“I could,” she said teasingly. “But my fees are very high.”
He chuckled. “Name your salary.”
“!” Yan Xiao blinked. “You’re that generous?”
“What if I drain your company dry?” she joked.
He lowered his gaze slightly, smiling faintly. “If you like, you can have the whole thing.”
Yan Xiao ground her teeth inwardly. If I didn’t already know your affection bar’s maxed out, I’d almost believe you! Nice try, villain, but I’m immune now.
By noon, after two hours of heavy theory and endless equations, her brain felt fried. She didn’t even want to speak.
Qiu Li casually picked up her backpack. “What do you want for lunch?”
“Seafood rice,” she murmured.
“Got it.” He sent a quick message. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t bother asking where, they always went wherever he’d arranged. Her only job was to study hard and eat whatever he handed her.
But before they could leave, a sudden commotion broke out near the front of the classroom.
Yan Xiao looked up, just in time to see the former department beauty walking over with a bouquet in hand and a blush on her face. The whole class was buzzing.
It only took Yan Xiao a second to realize what was happening. And while the excitement in the room was contagious, her mood was not. In fact, she felt oddly irritated.
“Qiu Li,” the girl said softly. She really was beautiful, poised, elegant, voice gentle as spring water. “This is for you. I like you. Will you consider me?”
Yan Xiao: “…”
The irritation spiked instantly.
“Thank you,” Qiu Li said evenly, expression unchanging, cold, proud, polite. “But I won’t accept. You’re not my type.”
The girl froze.
Yan Xiao: “???”
Wait, what did he just say?
‘Not your type’? So you have a type, huh?
Her hand twitched nervously on her lap. To keep herself occupied, she slipped it into the cubby beneath her desk, only to brush against something.
She blinked, confused, and pulled out a small box.
And froze.
It was an elegantly wrapped, expensive-looking gift box.
Yan Xiao was so stunned she couldn’t even speak.
Another confession?
Seriously? Why were they all picking today?! Couldn’t a girl just eat lunch in peace? She was starving!
Maybe it was because she’d been in class all morning and was exhausted, or maybe because she was hungry, or maybe because of some other nameless emotion, but whatever it was, her face didn’t look good. With a flat expression, she handed the box to Qiu Li. “This one’s for you too, right? Another confession?”
Qiu Li: “…”
The department beauty, still drowning in the pain of rejection: “…”
He didn’t know who sent it or what was inside, and leaving it like that felt rude, so Qiu Li opened it, just to check if there was a name so he could return it.
But the moment the lid came off, his face changed.
His brows furrowed sharply as he turned toward Yan Xiao.
She, still sulking and hungry, looked up, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“This is for you,” he said in a low, unreadable voice. “Someone’s confessing to you.”
Yan Xiao: “???”
Qiu Li: “!!!”
The forgotten beauty in the corner: “……”

Author’s Note:
Young Qiu: I’ve made a terrible mistake!!!!
Study Queen Xiao: What’s this “love” thing? Does it come with credit points? No? Then what’s the use?