The second round of the provincial examination concluded swiftly. Having gained experience from the first session, although everyone was still thoroughly exhausted, their spirits seemed relatively better this time. Wang Qingchen and the others gathered once more at the gates of the Gongyuan and returned together to the rented residence.

Though fatigue was etched onto everyone's faces after this round, the profound disappointment radiating from Zhao Jing and Li Yuntai was unmistakable; it seemed they had not performed well in the second test. The others clearly perceived the low mood of these two, so out of consideration, they deliberately avoided any discussion about the examination papers and walked back in silence.

Madam Huang, who had been waiting at the residence, had prepared a lavish spread of delicacies for their return. However, due to the dejection of Zhao Jing and Li Yuntai, the rest of the group also ate sparingly, merely forcing down a few bites before stopping.

Perhaps realizing that their gloom was affecting everyone else, Zhao Jing and Li Yuntai managed only a few mouthfuls before excusing themselves, claiming exhaustion, and retreating to their rooms to rest, not even mentioning a bath.

Madam Huang had noticed the shift the moment they walked in. Now that the two had retired, she quietly asked the remaining members, "What is wrong with those two..."

Before Madam Huang could finish her question, her son, Zhao Cheng, shook his head at her. Seeing this, she stopped inquiring. While she harbored certain suspicions, she merely sought confirmation. Since her son signaled her not to press, there was no need for her to continue.

Wang Qingchen had anticipated that Zhao Jing and Li Yuntai would be dispirited after a poor showing; disappointment was inevitable. In such a situation, he felt it was difficult to offer comfort, as unsolicited advice might sound hollow and condescending. Moreover, allowing them space to quiet their minds seemed appropriate at the moment. Yet, seeing how little the two had eaten worried Wang Qingchen. They had endured three days confined to the cramped cells, subsisting poorly. Now that they had finally survived those three days, they should be eating well to recover. Instead, these two barely touched their food. If they continued like this, coupled with their low spirits, they might fall ill, which would be disastrous.

With this thought, Wang Qingchen began to reconsider the possibility of offering some counsel. Never mind, he decided, for the sake of them not punishing their bodies further, I should go and persuade them.

Having made his decision, Wang Qingchen sped up his own meal. Once finished, despite his weariness, he resisted the urge to bathe and rest immediately. Instead, he walked to Li Yuntai’s room and knocked.

Li Yuntai inside was wide awake. Despite being incredibly tired, his mind was consumed with the certainty that his provincial examination performance was ruined, filled only with disappointment and sorrow—how could sleep possibly come?

As Li Yuntai was stewing in his misery, he heard the knocking. He immediately suspected who might be coming to console him. However, what he truly desired was solitude, so Li Yuntai ignored the persistent knocking, pretending to be asleep.

To his surprise, Wang Qingchen outside, hearing no response, did not give up, continuing to tap on the door with the clear intent of knocking until someone opened it.

Finally, Li Yuntai could no longer bear the incessant sound. Annoyed and slightly suffocated, he finally rose from the bed and went to open the door.

As the door swung open, Wang Qingchen was met by Li Yuntai’s dark, glaring expression. Unintimidated, Wang Qingchen spoke, "I noticed you hadn't bathed yet. I was afraid you wouldn't sleep well, so I came to call you to clean up before resting."

Li Yuntai’s gaze softened slightly. "No need. I'm just too tired right now. I want to rest first, and we can talk after I’ve recovered!"

"That won't do. You must bathe first! We traveled here together, and we don't have our elders accompanying us, so we must look after ourselves to avoid worrying our families back home. Seeing you neglect caring for yourself like this, as your friend, I am obligated to remind you!" Wang Qingchen stated earnestly.

Although Li Yuntai heard Wang Qingchen's words, he was not blind to his true intentions. Sighing, Li Yuntai conceded, "Fine, stop beating around the bush. Say what you need to say and come in."

With that, Li Yuntai stepped aside, allowing Wang Qingchen entry.

Once inside, Wang Qingchen surveyed the room and then said, "I noticed you’ve been quite low since leaving the Gongyuan today. Was there an issue with the second round?"

Li Yuntai nodded sadly, "It seems this provincial examination trip has been for nothing!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingchen instead recounted past events. "I remember during the Tongzi Examination, there was one time you were certain you wouldn't pass. And what happened? You passed that one, and subsequently passed the provincial examination to even qualify for this Xiangshi."

Wang Qingchen’s words brought Li Yuntai back to that time when he thought he had failed. But then, Li Yuntai shook his head. "It’s different, Qingchen. This time is different. I know for sure this won't work out."

"Alright, even if you don't pass the Xiangshi this time, you still don't need to torment your own body like this, do you? I saw you barely ate a few bites. We all ate poorly in the cells for three days. Now that we’ve finally survived them, shouldn't we eat something restorative? Yet you insist on fighting against your own well-being. I suspect you are still starving right now!" Wang Qingchen pressed.

"Sigh, I just feel terrible because I spent so long preparing for this exam, never slacking off daily, only for the result to be this. Don't worry, I'll feel better after resting, and I promise to eat more then," Li Yuntai assured Wang Qingchen, looking at him.

Wang Qingchen, however, shook his head. "We all came from Qingshan Town. I recall that over the years, our town has only produced two or three successful Juren, right? Yet every time the Xiangshi takes place, many people from our town participate. Looking at it this way, a large number of people from our town fail to achieve the title of Juren every time. But aren't they all living well now? Moreover, they didn't let that failure crush them. I know a Xiucai in our town who has already taken the Xiangshi three times. Even if you fail this time, you gain experience, and you can prepare diligently for the Xiangshi three years from now! I understand your current distress, but you truly don't need to punish yourself this way. Understand this: if your health fails, how can you even consider taking the exam again in the future? If your health breaks, then truly, nothing remains."

Hearing this, although the sadness in Li Yuntai's heart did not vanish, he saw a point clearly: his health must not be ruined. Wang Qingchen was right; as long as he was healthy, he could try again. But if his body suffered, then all was lost.

Having grasped this crucial point, Li Yuntai looked at Wang Qingchen with gratitude. "Qingchen..."

"Hey, don't you dare say anything about gratitude!" Wang Qingchen, having anticipated the words, quickly waved his hand. "If you’re being polite with me, you’re treating me like an outsider. The important thing now is for you to hurry out, eat a proper meal, and then take a good bath and rest. Once you feel better, you can properly think about your plans moving forward."

Li Yuntai nodded and left the room with Wang Qingchen. However, Wang Qingchen did not accompany him to the main hall to eat, saying instead, "You hurry and eat; I'm going to check on Zhao Jing now."

The others in the hall were surprised to see Li Yuntai emerge to eat again. Zhao Jing's situation was similar to Li Yuntai's. After a moment's thought, Wang Qingchen decided not to use the same method he used with Li Yuntai but instead opted to pull the familial card.

Zhao Jing, too, was so thoroughly annoyed by Wang Qingchen's relentless knocking that he was forced to get up and open the door.

As the door opened, Wang Qingchen immediately said, "No matter what, you are my older cousin's husband; we are family in a way. Being away from home, we must support each other. I saw you barely ate just now, so I came over. If we return home later, and my cousin finds out I let you go hungry and did nothing, she will surely blame me!"

Zhao Jing had been somewhat irritated, but hearing Wang Qingchen's words, he felt a flush of embarrassment. He was older than Wang Qingchen; to have his junior worry about him like this put him clearly in the wrong.

"I... I wasn't very hungry just now, so I didn't eat much. Plus, I was tired, so I just wanted to rest first. Don't worry, I’m fine," Zhao Jing explained.

"That won't do. Even if you weren't very hungry, you should have eaten at least a little more, or you'll starve by the time you wake up tomorrow! Cousin will definitely worry, and my young nephew will surely worry too," Wang Qingchen insisted.

Zhao Jing hadn't expected Wang Qingchen to be so persistent. Seeing that he couldn't sway Wang Qingchen, he stopped insisting. After all, his performance in the second round was already past saving; no amount of distress would fix it now, and there was no need to harm his own body further. Thus, Zhao Jing conceded, "Fine, I'll go eat now."

After Zhao Jing also made his way to the main hall, Liu Hao and the others were even more astonished. Upon learning that it was Wang Qingchen who had persuaded the two, their admiration for him soared.

Liu Hao even quipped, "Qingchen, if one day I end up like that, you absolutely must persuade me properly! Don't let me starve!"

Hearing Liu Hao's jests, the group burst into a mix of laughter and tears, and even Li Yuntai and Zhao Jing felt considerably less distressed.