Xu Su had been hesitant for a long time, but Shen Chen’s words had given her courage. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’In both of her lifetimes, she had never had to worry about money after meeting Zhou Mochen. So, why not choose a major she was actually interested in?’

’She was genuinely interested in math. Perhaps Xi Zirong had cultivated that interest in her; his teaching was just so engaging. As Xu Su studied, she had, at some point, unknowingly fallen in love with the subject.’

Nanyang: [The math department is no joke, especially at University B. It’s ranked number one in the country, you know! Go for it, Little Susu! Become a direct junior to our boss, then you can ride his coattails.]

Xu Su: [If I can get in, I’ll give it a hundred percent. This isn’t a game, and I don’t want to ride anyone’s coattails.]

She was being very serious. Nanyang quickly replied: [Sorry, I didn’t mean you were weak or anything. If you can get into the math department, your IQ already blows your peers out of the water. Even if you don’t make it, anyone who’s interested in math is already extraordinary.]

That was no exaggeration. Nanyang himself had made it into University B through an incredibly competitive process, but he still held the students from the School of Mathematical Sciences in the highest esteem.

Before Xu Su could reply, Si Xuan’s avatar lit up. He rarely ever chimed in.

He tagged Xu Su: [I’ll be waiting for you in the School of Mathematical Sciences, then, Little Junior.]

’Little Junior...’

Xu Su’s fingers paused for a moment before she replied: [Okay.]

’She had her pride, too. Who would want to enter the workforce and scramble for loose change if they could pursue academia instead?’

Messages were flying in another group chat, so Xu Su tapped on it to take a look.

Most of her classmates were asking each other which schools and majors they were planning to apply to.

Naturally, the ones getting the most questions were the students ranked first and second in their grade: Xi Zirong and Xu Su.

Xi Zirong had already replied in the group chat: The math department at University B.

Xu Su stared at the line of text, stunned for several seconds.

’Didn’t he want to go into biological research or artificial intelligence?’

’Then again, she realized, those two fields were also inextricably linked to mathematics. Math truly was the foundation of all science; you couldn’t get around it, no matter what academic field you researched.’

’With Xi Zirong’s talent, he could very well make a real name for himself in the world of mathematics and leave his mark.’

Xu Su felt a pang of silent envy, and a bit of bitterness...

’You just can’t compare people. After spending nearly a year together, she knew that probably no one in the entire ’Rocket Class’ understood better than her just how much of a prodigy Xi Zirong was.’

Xu Su didn’t post anything in the group. Xi Zirong had already announced he was going for the math department at University B. How would it look if she said the exact same thing?

Soon, another classmate suggested they all get together for a ’teacher appreciation banquet’ to invite all their teachers and put a perfect end to their three years of high school.

Xu Su was tempted by the idea; she was quite fond of her teachers.

Many of the students in their class were from the surrounding counties, so making a round trip would be a hassle. Not everyone would be willing to travel just for one meal.

In the end, the class president, Xi Zirong, took charge of organizing. The dinner was set for five days later. Students who wanted to come were to sign up with him in advance so he could get a headcount, book a hotel, and everyone would split the cost to treat their teachers.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Su added Xi Zirong on QQ.

Her friend request was accepted instantly...

Xi Zirong’s profile picture was a photo of two hands, fingers intertwined. Each hand was wearing a silver ring.

Xu Su watched as the ’...is typing’ notification appeared in the chat window for a long, long time.

She expected a long message, but all Xi Zirong sent was: [Are you signing up?]

Xu Su: [Yes.]

Xi Zirong: [Junyue Hotel, third floor, five days from now.]

It was the first time they had spoken in half a year, and the exchange was brief and impersonal.

’Xu Su gave a wry smile inwardly. She had so many suspicions that she couldn’t verify. Until she had a definitive answer, they would remain just that—suspicions.’

’She had already made her choice. She chose Zhou Mochen, so...’

Xu Su calmed herself down and played some games to pass the time. The hours flew by, and at ten o’clock, Zhou Mochen came to tell her it was time for bed.

She was doing quests with a few of her friends from the group chat tonight and had managed to snag several valuable items by tagging along. She was ecstatic. When she heard Zhou Mochen’s voice, she called back, "Okay!"

Xu Su didn’t think anything of it, but Sika, on the other end of her headset, was already freaking out. "Susu, a guy is telling you to go to sleep this late at night?! Are you living with your boyfriend?"

Xu Su froze. She realized that since she rarely used open mic and didn’t like to talk about her personal life in the group, no one knew she was already living with Zhou Mochen.

"You’re so young! Are you already sleeping in the same bed? Your boyfriend is such a predator! He’s just after your looks! Susu, snap out of it!"

Liu Yun was stunned too. She had overheard Zhou Mochen and Xu Su talking before, but she’d only known that Xu Su had a boyfriend, not that they were actually living together.

Her ’master,’ Nanyang, cleared his throat. As a guy, he felt it would be inappropriate to comment; saying too much might sound like he was trying to cause trouble between the couple.

But it was hard to say what he was really thinking...

Xu Su knew they were just reminding her out of goodwill, worried that she was being deceived by some scumbag at her young age.

She hesitated for a moment before explaining, "He’s not like that. He’s actually a really good person."

"A really good man wouldn’t be dating a high schooler in the first place!" Liu Yun said urgently. "And he’s even living with you? Is that something a decent guy would do? Don’t be fooled!"

"...Sigh." ’Xu Su couldn’t exactly tell them that she had been the one to initiate, you know, *that*, and that her boyfriend had actually turned her down. It was too embarrassing.’

She sighed. "It’s really not what you think. It’s hard to explain in just a few words. You’ll understand when you get a chance to meet him."

Some things were better left unexamined, because the moment she thought about them, something felt off.

Thinking about it now, she had been so forward, and yet Zhou Mochen had been completely unmoved, insisting on not taking that final step. The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became.

’Was I that undesirable?’

’Why does he get to be the one to decide whether we do it or not?’

’No! This won’t do!’

Xu Su shut down her computer in a huff. When she got back to her room, Zhou Mochen was already sitting on the bed, waiting for her.

When he saw her enter, his eyes darkened, but his expression remained impassive as he lifted the thin blanket, beckoning her to get into bed.

Xu Su stood by the bed, unmoving. "Get out."

"What?" Zhou Mochen’s brow furrowed.

"I said, get out!" Xu Su raised her voice. "I want to sleep by myself."

"Are you kidding me? Your college entrance exams are over. Tomorrow, the day after, the next hundred-plus days—it’s all vacation. Do you understand what that means?"

He had waited for so long. Now that the day had finally come, there was no way Zhou Mochen was going to let this opportunity pass.

He reached for her as he spoke. "I’ll give you a choice. Tonight, you can be on top, or I can. I’m fine with either way."

Xu Su sidestepped his hand and shot him a look, her lips pursed. "I’m not fine with either. I don’t want to do it anymore."

"You don’t want to do it anymore..." Zhou Mochen nodded.

Xu Su was just wondering why he was being so agreeable when, in the next second, Zhou Mochen suddenly shot up and grabbed her by the waist. The world spun, and before Xu Su could react, he had pulled her onto the bed and pinned her beneath him.

"Scared? Good girl, Susu. I won’t hurt you, don’t be afraid." His words were followed by a trail of fiery kisses—across her brow, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips.

Xu Su turned her head away, struggling with all her might. "Didn’t you say you’d listen to me no matter what? I don’t want to do this right now! Get off!"