The outstanding performance of these two ignited Qiu Mengze’s fierce competitive streak.

He could accept not being able to beat Lin Ruoxi in academics, but how could he be worse than a girl at something like driving?

Lin Ruoxi had gone from beginner to pro in just a few minutes. He couldn’t afford to lose this much face.

Seeing how proficient they all were, the coach briefly explained the various parts of the Subject Two exam and then left the car entirely to them for practice.

"Lin Ruoxi, is this really your first time driving?" Qiu Mengze couldn’t help but ask.

"It really is," Lin Ruoxi said.

"..." Qiu Mengze sighed.

In just a few short hours, Lin Ruoxi had mastered the Subject Two procedures. She even started copying Xue Rui, driving one-handed on the steering wheel, looking as practiced as a taxi driver.

Xue Rui was driving a lap around the school when the car actually stalled on a hill start...

Having driven an automatic for so long, he was still getting used to the extra clutch pedal in a manual.

"This piece of junk is shaking like crazy," Xue Rui cursed.

Qiu Mengze sneered, "Blaming your lack of skill on the car? Lin Ruoxi has never stalled."

Lin Ruoxi said gently, "Just a bit slower. You’re already doing great."

Xue Rui sighed, a sense of disappointment washing over him.

Lin Ruoxi’s words of comfort were somehow more cutting than Qiu Mengze’s mockery...

He had been hoping to teach Lin Ruoxi personally, to bask in the girl’s adoring gaze...

And what happened instead? He was the one getting driving tips from her?

"You’re too good at this. You’re not giving me any room to shine," Xue Rui blurted out his true feelings.

Sitting in the back, Qiu Mengze’s eye twitched. ’Xue Rui is being a little too honest,’ he thought. ’Does he really want to show off that badly?’

"Hmm, I remember now," Lin Ruoxi said thoughtfully. "The internet says girls should act a little dumber to be cute, so they can let boys teach them things and close the distance between them."

As she finished speaking, she scooted a little closer to Xue Rui.

"Some tactics don’t really suit you," Xue Rui said.

’What is she getting at? Is she just laying all her cards on the table?’

Lin Ruoxi nodded earnestly. "I agree, it’s not a good idea. Why pretend to be dumb when you can just be smart?"

Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. ’Isn’t a girl who can say something like that already dense enough?’

Qiu Mengze stared blankly. ’What is going on with these two? Are all young couples this extra these days?’

Xue Rui slowly started the car and drove down the slope. It would be Qiu Mengze’s turn next.

After getting in, Qiu Mengze slid the seat forward. He felt a huge gulf between himself and the other two, and having to adjust the seat every time he got in the car only seemed to deepen that impression.

After all, Xue Rui was tall and Lin Ruoxi had long legs, so they never had to adjust the seat when they took turns driving...

Xue Rui answered a call, then said to Qiu Mengze, "Let’s practice more this afternoon. We should get some lunch first."

It was lunchtime, and driving schools are typically in remote locations with no restaurants nearby. Xue Rui simply ordered takeout, getting a meal for Coach Li as well.

The group sat inside the driving school office to eat, making small talk.

To be more precise, Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui were eating across from each other, the girl watching him eat with a smile playing in her eyes. Qiu Mengze was left on his own, so he could only chat with Coach Li.

"The difference between students is just huge. You guys are the fastest learners I’ve ever had—way better than those college students," Coach Li said with a laugh.

A surge of joy welled up in Qiu Mengze; he hadn’t expected Coach Li to be so complimentary.

"Coach, what’s wrong with college students?" Qiu Mengze asked curiously. He hadn’t started college yet and still had many rosy illusions about university life.

In his mind, college students were all brilliant, a species far superior to any high schooler.

But now that a slacker like him was about to become one, he suddenly felt that maybe college students weren’t all that special.

"You have no idea. We have college students at this school who’ve failed the Subject One written test three times..." Coach Li chuckled.

"Huh? For real? Failing three times means taking the test six times, and they couldn’t pass even once?"

Qiu Mengze was incredulous. ’Can people really be that dumb? How did they even get into college?’

"Why would I lie to you?" Coach Li said, his face dead serious.

Xue Rui chuckled at this. ’College students are just normal people,’ he thought. ’A lot of them go wild after getting to university. Their ability to learn and focus deteriorates, and they get restless. It’s not surprising they’d fail the written test.’

"Well, that’s an eye-opener," Qiu Mengze muttered to himself.

Xue Rui was on his phone when he received a photo from Gu Muxue.

He instinctively pulled his phone back, trying to keep the girl from seeing.

But he was too slow.

"Is that a photo of Aunt Ren and our classmate Gu Muxue?" Lin Ruoxi asked calmly, placing some of the meat from her bowl into Xue Rui’s.

Xue Rui tensed up. ’This girl’s eyes are sharp,’ he thought. ’Did she recognize them from just a momentary glance at the thumbnail?’

"Yes," Xue Rui admitted freely.

’It’s not like it’s a big secret, anyway. The girl will believe anything I say. It’s just... hiding the phone from her was a purely unconscious reflex. Is this what they call a survival instinct?’

"Hmm, I know about that. Aunt Ren called Gu Muxue the other day and said they were going to Jiangnan for a trip."

After speaking, Lin Ruoxi poured a glass of water for Xue Rui.

"???" Xue Rui was a picture of confusion.

’My mom called Gu Muxue?’ He recalled giving his phone to Ren Qunfang for safekeeping that day. ’It must have happened then... So Lin Ruoxi was listening in the whole time? Does that mean Gu Muxue knows, too?’

Just then, Gu Muxue sent another selfie. In the background were his mother and Gu Muxue’s mother. The group was sitting on a black-canopied boat, surrounded by a misty drizzle.

She was holding a red oil-paper umbrella, and even on such an overcast, rainy day, her face looked rosy and radiant. She was as beautiful as ever.

Xue Rui texted back: "The Jiangnan Water Village. I’ll have to go see it myself sometime."

Gu Muxue: "What are you up to right now?"

Xue Rui: "Practicing at the driving school."

Gu Muxue looked at her phone, picturing the weather in Hedong. The sun in Hedong City would be intense right now, strong enough to sunburn the back of your neck.

She replied: "Remember to wear sunscreen."

After sending the message, she stared blankly at the light rain, listening to the dull patter on her oil-paper umbrella and feeling a little hollow inside.

Xue Rui had only said he was practicing; he hadn’t mentioned who he was with.

’Did he go alone? Or with a classmate?’

In fact, ever since she’d heard the name "Xixi" and that soft, delicate female voice on the phone the other day, the thought had been nagging at her, even though she tried to push it away.

Now, she was becoming more and more certain that Xue Rui was at the driving school with Lin Ruoxi.

But she didn’t ask anyone, not even Xue Rui’s mother.

She chose to trust Xue Rui.

And yet, deep down, she still wanted to hear it from him directly.

Xue Rui’s hand paused over his phone. ’I should probably tell Gu Muxue now,’ he thought. ’She might already know that I’m here with Lin Ruoxi. If I don’t say anything, she won’t bring it up either. She’ll just keep it bottled inside. When you’re trying to ride two boats at once, suspicion is the most dangerous thing... Gu Muxue is too smart; she’s not that easy to fool. Once a doubt is planted, she’ll keep looking for proof... It was the same last time. I have no idea how she found out that Lin Ruoxi and I were hanging out so much. Either way, she ignored me for ages and gave me the silent treatment for a long time. She isn’t petty. If I just admit it openly, I’ll actually come across as being more honest and forthright.’

So, Xue Rui replied openly: "Muxue, I’ll talk to you later. I’m at the driving school with some classmates—Qiu Mengze and Lin Ruoxi. We all came together after our exams."

Of course, every word he typed was the truth.

「Meanwhile, in the Jiangnan Water Village.」

Gu Muxue’s phone buzzed. She took it out for a look, and her beautiful eyes instantly lit up.

She suddenly felt a sense of telepathic connection, as if Xue Rui had sensed her thoughts from thousands of miles away.

It was a truly wondrous feeling, as if an invisible thread connected them.

Like... it was destiny.

Gu Muxue’s eyes crinkled into a smile as she replied to Xue Rui: "Okay, bye! I’ll bring you back some treats."

’Xue Rui admitted it. He openly said he was practicing with classmates. Seeing Lin Ruoxi’s name, for some reason, put her very much at ease. That’s right, they’re just classmates. There’s no need to hide anything. I was just overthinking things.’

Zhao Lizhen pushed aside the boat’s curtain. "Muxue, what are you giggling at your phone for?"

Gu Muxue froze. ’Was I giggling?’

"No, I wasn’t," Gu Muxue said with a pout.

"Muxue, hurry and come inside. It’s raining out here," Ren Qunfang beckoned.

"Okay." Gu Muxue smiled and sat down next to Ren Qunfang.

Zhao Lizhen put on a mock-stern face. "Muxue, what’s gotten into you? You didn’t come in when I called, but you listen as soon as your Aunt Ren says something?"

Gu Muxue’s gaze darted about. "I was just talking to Xiaorui. The reception is better out here."

The girl was just making an excuse.

But how could such a flimsy excuse possibly fool Zhao Lizhen? ’It’s just a girl growing up, not wanting her elders to see her private conversations.’

"Sister Ren, since you’re here, you should stay and have fun for a few more days. Don’t be in a rush to get back to Hedong. It’s way too hot there," Zhao Lizhen said.

She had told her own mother long ago that she’d met someone who looked just like her, and now she could finally bring that person to meet her.

"That might be nice. Xiaying is off doing yoga—for ’self-cultivation,’ she says. Yaoyao’s in high school now, so her schedule is packed, and Xiaorui is never home anyway..."

Ren Qunfang considered it. There really wasn’t anyone at home. She’d just be bored if she went back.

The boatman, standing at the prow, glanced back at the women. "Your family is truly beautiful. You all look like you’ve stepped right out of a television drama."

The boatman hadn’t had much schooling; for him, "like on TV" was the highest form of praise.

Hearing the boatman’s words, Gu Muxue figured it was because their features were so similar—they all had the same alluring, almond-shaped eyes—that the boatman had mistaken them for one family.

But none of the three women corrected him.

Ren Qunfang felt it would be too much trouble to explain, so she said nothing.

As for Zhao Lizhen, she just looked at the two beside her with a knowing smile, her thoughts a mystery.

Gu Muxue bit her lip, the words echoing in her mind. ’One family? With Aunt Ren? Not now, but... in the future?’

She found herself secretly hoping the boatman’s words might one day come true.