As I approached, I caught the sound of a rather pleasant voice reciting poetry: “How can I meet you, at my most beautiful moment? For this, I prayed to the Buddha for five hundred years. I begged the Buddha to let us form a bond in this mortal world, so the Buddha turned me into a tree, standing by the path you must take.”

Before he could finish, Cheng Ying raised an eyebrow at Chi Wu. "Looks like he's run into a demon," she murmured. "He can see that thing, but we can't. Don't follow his example; he's probably just crazy. If you see a pretty girl, pulling her hand is a lot more effective than this."

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying, his expression quite strange. "I'll remember that," he said with sincere earnestness.

The two watched for a while longer. Of course, they weren't the only onlookers.

Chi Wu asked, "You don't like this? Xi Murong? Don't girls usually sleep clutching her poetry books?"

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu with a conflicted expression. She truly couldn't keep up with the trends. "Who is Xi Murong? I don't know her, and she probably doesn't know me."

A girl standing nearby shot Cheng Ying a look of disdain before walking away, making sure to glance back at the pretentious boy with a thought of, So handsome.

Chi Wu felt foolish for asking. "If you don't know her, fine. It’s not like we have anything to do with her anyway."

Chi Wu was no longer in a rush. He had figured out long ago that this was the person who wrote that note. This student had transferred in six months ago—a repeater, someone who hadn't done well last year and was trying again.

Chi Wu looked at the boy with contempt. Someone like this aiming for university? A complete waste.

Furthermore, no one understood Cheng Ying better than Chi Wu, and she genuinely couldn't stand this kind of indirect theatricality. It would have been better if he’d set up a small stall outside the school gate for Cheng Ying to notice.

In fact, Cheng Ying once saw a young man selling stationery outside the school and stared at him intently for several minutes, practically wanting to ask about his entire ancestry.

Later, what Cheng Ying said made Chi Wu break out in a cold sweat.

Cheng Ying declared that when looking for a partner, one should start with someone like that—someone who understood how to live life. Having that kind of business sense at such a young age meant that marrying him would guarantee they wouldn't worry about getting rich. He was a potential goldmine. Countless tycoons had started exactly this way.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the present: Chi Wu used the limited time he had to strike against his romantic rival. He assessed the man before him. "He is quite good-looking." But nowhere near half as good as me, he thought disdainfully.

Cheng Ying remarked, "He is indeed good-looking. It's a shame to waste that outfit on him. If he weren't being a lunatic, it would be great if he were wearing this outfit while lifting weights." Now that would be a proper uniform fetish.

Cheng Ying pursed her lips, thinking again what a waste the attire was. "Let's go."

Chi Wu thought to himself, Why did she say that so quietly? Why didn't she say it louder? That would definitely make the guy spit blood. Chi Wu felt a pang of regret; he wished he had installed a megaphone on Cheng Ying.

By the time the man finished his passionate recitation and was ready to confess, his intended audience had already left, accompanied by an inescapable shadow. The man's expression turned ugly.

But he wouldn't give up easily. A woman who catches one's eye isn't easy to find.

It wasn't without its benefits, though. At least Cheng Ying now knew this person and had a deep impression of him. Later, during class and even during physical education, Cheng Ying watched the man playing basketball. "Well, when he's not acting up, he's quite sunny, isn't he?" Even handsome guys have aspects that appeal to the eye.

Chi Wu snorted. Why isn't this guy taking his medication?

Time passed—not quickly, but not slowly either. In short, after Cheng Ying returned from visiting her father’s grave during the Qingming Festival, she began preparing for the exams. She spent every day memorizing material until her head spun. Only now did Cheng Ying feel that the transitional phase of her rebirth was over, because she felt the genuine stress of impending college entrance exams. This is too much! Why did the merging phase have to happen now?

Chi Wu had it much easier. No wonder people said studying was less stressful for boys than for girls. Sometimes, looking at Chi Wu, Cheng Ying wanted to bite him. Here she was, having studied the material once already, a former top student, yet she couldn't beat a local kid. Did her prior knowledge count for nothing? It was infuriating.

Cheng Ying even summarized years of experience in test-taking education into a study guide and gave a copy to Chi Wu. With that resource, it would be hard for either of them to fail, provided they could memorize everything she synthesized. That is, unless the exam questions themselves were completely bizarre.

During the test, Cheng Ying cleared her mind. She thought, Even if I can't get into the best school, I must achieve the best score. "I might not go, but I can’t fail to get accepted." It was a complicated issue. However, things seemed different now; universities mostly admitted based on scores rather than specific school choices. Cheng Ying didn't quite understand it, but Chi Wu assured her he would handle the logistics. "You just focus on the exams. I’ll manage the rest." What a reliable support system.

During her intense study period, Cheng Ying completely avoided the outside world. After the exams, she had forgotten most of what she had crammed. She slept soundly for over two days before the old lady woke her up to try on clothes.

Seeing the garments the old lady had sewn by hand, Cheng Ying was nearly in tears. "Grandma, did you get the measurements right? Is this really for me?"

The old lady asked, "Don't you like it?"

Cheng Ying clutched the clothes, unable to let go. "No, it’s not that. This isn't your style! There aren't any flowers on this dress!"

The old lady looked at her granddaughter’s delighted expression and felt a little guilty. "You’re a grown-up now; wear whatever you like. Do you think I don't know you dislike those flowery jackets? Do you think I wanted to dress you up like that? It was only because I was afraid you’d spend all your time admiring your beauty and neglect your studies." Besides, if she dressed too well, attracting admirers at school, how could she concentrate? The old lady was sharp. She couldn't say this to her granddaughter, but Cheng Ying was perceptive enough. Once the old lady explained her reasoning, Cheng Ying immediately understood it all. "Grandma, you think I'm too pretty, and you’re afraid someone will snatch me away, so you deliberately made me look plainer."

The old lady waved her off. "Enough, Wu Zi is waiting for you. At the graduation party, wear whatever you fancy. We can’t have all your classmates thinking you’re a country bumpkin."

Good heavens, she even knew about that! The old lady claimed, "I have divine messengers."

Wu Zi wasn't a fool; he had been whispering in the old lady's ear daily. He’d say that Cheng Ying looked fine dressed like that, that no one sent her notes, and her studies remained focused. But the girls in the class who dressed well, despite being good students initially, started receiving notes and their grades dropped. Chi Wu had repeated this sentiment to the old lady every day for three years. How could she not understand what was best for her granddaughter?

Cheng Ying looked at the most fashionable collared white dress—wearing that would make her look like a movie star. Then she looked at the slightly antique-style qipao the old lady had handmade. She adored both. But wearing the qipao might be too mature for her right now. She was reluctant to let either one go.

Cheng Ying tried on the qipao first, preening in front of the mirror. When Chi Wu walked in and saw her curved figure, he almost got a nosebleed. To cover his embarrassment, he pointed at the layered soles of her shoes. "Is this what you call 'urban-rural integration' style?"

Cheng Ying instinctively kicked him but forgot she was wearing the qipao. If Chi Wu hadn't rushed to steady her, she would have fallen flat. Unfortunately, her kick landed on the hem of the qipao, dirtying it beyond repair.

Chi Wu held her waist, realizing they had never been this close before. He was proud of himself; even in this situation, he hadn't forgotten to step on and stain Cheng Ying's qipao. It proved he was a gentleman who could remain unmoved by temptation. He hadn't forgotten the main objective: this dress couldn't be worn out. His woman couldn't be given a second glance by some scoundrel.

As for the white dress, Cheng Ying didn't want to wear it; it didn't fit her personal aesthetic standards. So, she opted for the jeans, which the old lady had made according to Cheng Ying's description but hadn't brought out until now. When Cheng Ying put them on, the way they accentuated her waist and hip curves made the old lady blush, regretting ever making them. Look at the sway of those hips!

For the top, she chose a loose-fitting, oversized purple shirt made of cotton cloth, just like the style of the time. The fashion was to tuck the hem into the waistband, which made Cheng Ying look energetic. Of course, she still wore the layered-sole shoes. For comfort, Cheng Ying was willing to accept minor flaws in her appearance. Urban-rural integration it was; at least it was a complete look that maintained her signature touch. This was how she comforted herself as she and Chi Wu got into the car.

The old lady’s eyelids twitched watching her granddaughter’s outfit. If they were in the village, people would surely gossip about her child. How can she dress so revealingly? Everything that should be covered was covered, but nowadays people wore bell-bottoms. Chi Wu only owned two pairs, but Cheng Ying had thrown them both out—they looked too unsightly. For someone dressed as modestly as Cheng Ying was around the hips, she had truly never seen anyone so covered up.

The old lady said, "Put on a jacket to cover up; it’s cold outside."

Cheng Ying looked at the sky, which didn't look cold at all. "Don't worry, Grandma. You go back. Chi Wu is with me; he won't let me freeze."

The old lady instructed, "Wuzi, make sure to keep Yingzi bundled up!"

Chi Wu nodded. "Grandma, I'm here." Only the two of them understood the double meaning of that phrase.

Cheng Ying added, "I have a fever. Do you two really think it’s cold? It’s almost June! That’s too much."

Chi Wu replied, "If Grandma says it's cold, you pay attention."

Cheng Ying conceded, Fine.

Chi Wu drove to the school. He was already the object of intense admiration from a crowd of girls. After all, for any graduating class, in any era, there is always a frenzy surrounding the popular ones. As soon as Chi Wu stepped out of the car, girls surrounded him, along with boys who had ulterior motives brought along by the girls.

Cheng Ying felt she was riding Chi Wu’s coattails; he was so popular. She heard a girl exclaim, "Chi Wu, we came to pick you up! Where’s the fruit you brought?" Chi Wu had volunteered to handle the procurement of fruit since he had a car, organizing a farewell party.

Seeing this setup—so many people coming to pick him up, so much fruit—Cheng Ying watched as Chi Wu opened her door. His appearance immediately blinded the eyes of his male friends and sparked jealousy among the girls. The country bumpkin actually looks presentable when she dresses up.

Of course, the moment Cheng Ying stepped out, wearing her distinct layered-sole shoes, the girls scoffed. Still a bumpkin; she can’t even match her clothes.

PS: End of the month, asking for votes, dear readers, asking for votes at the end of the month. Thank you. RP