Not only did her mother suspect her grades were off, but even her classmates were suspicious. A few of her close friends joked, "Chu Qing, did you cheat too much? Getting all the way to second place is pushing it. Be careful, the homeroom teacher might come after you."
"I didn't cheat. These are my real grades," Chu Qing rolled her eyes at them.
One tall, skinny boy sneered, "Come on, Chu Qing. We've been in class together for three years. We know your usual scores. When the teacher calls you in, just confess. It'll be better than having your parents called."
Just as he finished speaking, the homeroom teacher entered, and the classroom fell silent. The teacher scanned the room, her gaze landing on Chu Qing. "Come with me," she said, then turned and left.
"Here we go..." The instigators immediately lowered their voices.
Qi Weichen frowned, looking directly at her. "I'll go with you."
"It's fine, I can go by myself," Chu Qing winked at him and left the classroom.
The homeroom teacher was waiting outside and led her straight to the office. It was break time, so all the teachers were gathered in the office. A teacher visiting from another office saw Chu Qing and teased the homeroom teacher, "Oh, here's your second-place student. The little girl looks quite innocent, but her cheating skills must be pretty good."
Chu Qing took a closer look and laughed. It was Director Duan. She hadn't realized he was already at Chengde High School in 2019. She hadn't noticed before.
"You're still laughing," the homeroom teacher frowned.
Chu Qing coughed and put on a serious face. "Teacher, I know what you want to say, and I don't blame you. Put yourself in my shoes – a student who was at the bottom of the class three months ago suddenly jumps to second place after winter break. If I were you, I wouldn't believe it either."
"Good that you understand," the homeroom teacher's expression softened a bit, seeing her reasonable attitude.
But Chu Qing grinned again, "But this is the power of miracles... well, not exactly miracles. Mainly it's because I have a high IQ. I can learn in three months what others can't learn in three years."
"That's some thick skin you've got," interjected the future Director Duan, currently just a visiting teacher.
Chu Qing glanced at him sideways and continued talking to her homeroom teacher. "Don't dismiss me right away. Let's let the facts speak for themselves. How about this – you can give me any test, and I'll do it. Let you witness the power of three months."
"Alright, you said it. If you can't do it, don't blame me for calling your parents," the homeroom teacher, seeing her confidence, naturally didn't argue. She pulled out a mock exam from a thick stack of papers on the desk and handed it to her.
Chu Qing immediately sat down and started working on the problems. The homeroom teacher watched closely, surprised to see her only miss two out of the first ten multiple-choice questions.
As Chu Qing worked, she chattered away, "English is really not my strong suit. If only you taught math or something, at least those can be crammed quickly. Subjects like Chinese and English need time to develop a feel for the language. When I have kids in the future, I'll definitely cultivate their language sense from a young age. Then when they grow up, they can win first place in debate competitions for extra points on their applications..."
"You can't even learn well yourself, and you're thinking about your kids learning?" Director Duan couldn't help but interject again.
Chu Qing clicked her tongue, "You may be a teacher, but you don't teach me. Why do you keep needling me? You keep implying I cheated, but where's your evidence? You're a grown adult, don't you have any sense of responsibility for your words?"
"Do you have any manners? Don't you know how to speak to teachers? You were at the bottom of the class, getting second place is definitely cheating!" Director Duan, not expecting her to challenge him, exploded.
While Chu Qing was arguing with him, she had finished the cloze test. Including the first multiple-choice section, she had only missed four questions total. The homeroom teacher looked at the now-quarreling Chu Qing and Director Duan, frowning slightly. "Director Duan, I can handle my own student. There's no need for your input."
"I'm just feeling indignant on behalf of the other students. They've studied hard, why should they be pushed down by her?" Director Duan, not yet actually a director, immediately backed down at her words.
The homeroom teacher handed him the test paper. "I'm sorry, but it seems she has studied hard too."
Director Duan took one look and immediately objected, "Impossible. Did she memorize the answers beforehand?"
"There are thirty short questions in total. Can you memorize thirty A, B, C, Ds?" the homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow.
Director Duan frowned, "Maybe it's just luck. Even if her English is good, her other subjects can't possibly be this good."
"Who encouraged this habit of speaking without thinking?" Chu Qing asked lazily.
As Director Duan was about to explode again, the homeroom teacher stopped him and calmly looked at Chu Qing, "Since you've come to prove yourself, let's go all the way. Otherwise, when you go back, you'll definitely be gossiped about by your classmates and other teachers."
"I'll do whatever the teacher says," Chu Qing immediately smiled sweetly.
She looked innocent and spoke sweetly, immediately softening the homeroom teacher's expression. Taking advantage of the presence of other subject teachers, she had them bring out their test papers for Chu Qing to complete as well.
Just as Chu Qing was about to start on the physics paper, the bell for class rang. Teachers with classes had already left, but the others gathered around to watch her work, including the annoying Director Duan.
For someone with less psychological fortitude, even if they knew the material, they might not be able to perform under such scrutiny. But Chu Qing was different. She calmly worked through the problems, skipping those she didn't know, ignoring Director Duan's cold smirks. The other teachers didn't make her complete entire papers, just selecting representative questions from each, so she could finish a subject in about ten minutes.
Because they were watching her work, the subject teachers could immediately grade each question as she finished. She moved from one subject to the next almost without pause. As soon as she finished physics, she started on chemistry.
"How did she do in physics?" the homeroom teacher asked. The other teachers were equally curious.
The physics teacher nodded, "She didn't quite get the last step right on the most difficult problem, but she got all the basic and medium-difficulty questions correct. This guarantees she won't lose points. Based on this level, her physics score this time is legitimate."
Director Duan snorted lightly, clearly less confident than before.
By the time Chu Qing finished all the subject tests, half of the second period had passed. She shook out her aching wrist, having proven herself in front of all the teachers.
"How did you do it? Learning so much in just three months," the homeroom teacher was amazed, and the other teachers were curious too.
Chu Qing coughed, "Like I said, I'm a little genius."
"Tell me the truth, did you use some kind of good study method?" the homeroom teacher pressed.
...The good study method was time-traveling to the future, studying desperately, then coming back to the present. Chu Qing grinned, then after a moment, put on a mysterious air and said, "Since all the teachers want to know, I won't keep it from you."
The other teachers fell silent, listening intently.
Chu Qing cleared her throat and said seriously, "You may see me sleeping in class, chatting, or even skipping sometimes, but I've actually been listening carefully to every lesson the teachers give."
"Then why were your test scores so poor before?" the homeroom teacher frowned.
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, "Well, I was just lazy. When I saw the test paper, I'd do what I knew and leave what I didn't. I simply didn't bother writing anything for those. Plus, I'm a pretty low-key person. I didn't want to be praised as a top student. If it weren't for the college entrance exam coming up, requiring me to get a bit more serious, I'd still be too lazy to write much."
"Should I be praising you for this?" the homeroom teacher laughed, exasperated.
Chu Qing immediately tried to placate her, "Don't be angry, teacher. I promise to study hard for the last month and a half. All of you teachers have experience with the college entrance exam. You've surely noticed the weak points in my work just now. I'd be grateful if you could give me some advice on how to improve in this final month."
"Alright, we teachers will help however we can. After all, you're our student," the physics teacher said magnanimously.
Chu Qing immediately expressed her gratitude, "It's because of great and understanding teachers like you that I can study well. If it were certain others who immediately accused me of cheating without giving me a chance to prove myself, I might have gotten so discouraged that I'd have dropped out altogether."
Director Duan's face immediately turned the color of a pig's liver, and he slunk out of the office.
"Enough joking around, come back to class with me. Since I called you out earlier, your classmates are surely gossiping. Now I'll go help 'clear your name'." The homeroom teacher gave her a sidelong glance, emphasizing the last four words.
Chu Qing smiled even more brightly and hurried after the teacher back to the classroom. After the teacher explained everything that happened in the office, Chu Qing returned to her seat in the corner under the shocked gazes of her classmates. As she passed, she didn't forget to wink at Qi Weichen in the front row.
Qi Weichen lowered his eyes, hiding his amusement, and brushed her fingertips as she walked by.
"Chu, did you really take that test yourself?" her deskmate whispered in shock.
Chu Qing gave him a smug look. "Of course I did."
"How did you manage it?" her deskmate asked sincerely.
Chu Qing coughed. "It's not a big deal, really. I just casually listen in class while hanging out with you guys. I've known all those concepts for a while now."
"...But you don't do homework or pay much attention in class. How could you learn it all?"
Chu Qing glared at him. "Obviously, because I'm a genius."
Seeing her confident demeanor, her deskmate nodded thoughtfully.
Schools are always the fastest places for gossip to spread, and the content of rumors tends to morph during transmission. Chu Qing's original explanation for her sudden academic improvement was that she was quite gifted and could do well without studying much. By the time it made the rounds, it had transformed into a story that she had always been an excellent student since childhood, and was just pretending to be a poor student in high school to experience life from a different perspective.
When this version reached Chu Qing's ears, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I was just bragging about being smart. How did it turn into me always being a good student and pretending to be bad?"
"Isn't this better?" Qi Weichen asked, noticing her upturned lips.
Chu Qing pondered for three seconds, then grinned mischievously. "It is pretty nice."
She had to admit, she was finally experiencing the thrill Qi Muyang must have felt when he won first place in the debate competition. The feeling of showing off was quite enjoyable. Since Qi Weichen wouldn't expose her, she might as well keep up the act.
Due to the special circumstances of 2020, only the senior class in all of Chengde had returned to school early, and they were all required to board at school. Chu Qing and Qi Weichen, who used to be day students, were assigned new dormitories. Though the conditions were much worse compared to dorms 20 years in the future, they only had to endure it for a month, so the two of them managed to bear with it.
When the college entrance exam of 2043 approached, Chu Qing had focused mainly on Qi Muyang, without feeling much pressure herself. But as the 2019 exam drew near, she finally began to feel anxious. Even without Qi Weichen's supervision, she would study until 1 AM, then wake up at 5 AM the next morning to continue reviewing.
Although she ate a lot during this month and more, she still visibly lost weight, causing her parents to worry. They kept reminding Qi Weichen to take care of her. Qi Weichen was concerned too, but he didn't try to persuade her to take it easy. Instead, he constantly monitored her condition to prevent her from damaging her health.
In the blink of an eye, it was two days before the exam. After taking graduation photos and receiving their admission tickets, the two of them went to Qi Weichen's house together. Her parents had wanted to bring Chu Qing home, but after Qi Weichen said something to them, they didn't come to pick her up.
The day before the exam, Chu Qing was so nervous she couldn't sit still. She wanted to study but couldn't focus, making her feel very agitated. Qi Weichen calmly placed his hand on her head. "No more studying today. Get some rest."
"...I can't. I feel uneasy as soon as I lie down," Chu Qing frowned.
Qi Weichen said, "Your study efficiency won't be high now. It will only tire your brain more."
"But what should I do about this anxiety?" She had criticized Qi Muyang's poor mentality before, but now that it was her turn, she was worse than anyone.
Qi Weichen held her shoulders and said slowly, "Don't forget what Muyang said - you eventually got into A University."
Chu Qing calmed down instantly. That's right, she had forgotten such an important fact. The result was already known; she just needed to ensure she didn't mess up the process... But how could she make sure she didn't mess up?
She started to get nervous again. "What if... what if I can get into A University precisely because I study today? If I don't study now and miss a few points, what then? The future is unpredictable, you know about the butterfly effect, right? Maybe this will be the flap of the wings that changes everything."
Qi Weichen was silent for a moment. "Based on your scores from the last few mock exams, this final day really doesn't matter."
"...Really?" Chu Qing hesitated.
Qi Weichen nodded quietly. Chu Qing stared at him for a while, then took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. "Okay... then I'll rest today."
"Good."
Chu Qing managed a smile, finally giving up on the idea of studying, though her anxiety hadn't decreased much. Seeing that further persuasion was useless, Qi Weichen stopped trying. Instead, he took her to do other things to distract her, and soon enough, the first day of the college entrance exam arrived.
Chu Qing had thought she would be even more nervous once she got to the exam site, but when she actually sat down, she suddenly became calm and started answering questions as steadily as usual.
The two days of exams passed quickly. As soon as she left the exam room, her mind went blank, feeling a sense of relief. That night, she went home with her parents, and as soon as she entered the house, she fell asleep, not waking up until the next morning.
Her parents didn't ask about the exam, and she didn't bring it up either. She just lazed around at home, feeling like a tightly wound spring had finally been released.
While she stayed at home, it wasn't convenient for Qi Weichen to visit too often, so he tried to invite her out. However, it was too hot outside, and without anyone to regulate her schedule, her sleep cycle had become completely reversed. Every time he tried to contact her, it was when she was most sleepy, so she refused his invitations several times, saying she needed to sleep.
"I'm energetic at night and sleep during the day. It's the same as long as I get enough sleep. My body won't be affected," Chu Qing yawned. "Don't tattle to my mom, okay? I want to relax properly."
Warned like this, Qi Weichen immediately abandoned any thoughts of reporting to her mother, and after careful consideration, he agreed. Chu Qing hung up the phone and rolled over to sleep for a few more hours.
Qi Weichen stopped contacting her, and she enjoyed the peace and quiet. However, while one or two days of this was fine, by the third day, she started to feel that something wasn't right. So she swallowed her pride and called him.
"Cell phones emit radiation. If you want to see me, come to my house," Qi Weichen said coolly, then hung up.
Chu Qing was silent for a moment, but ultimately, she painfully made her way to his door.
Soon after she knocked, Qi Weichen appeared at the door with a cold expression. Chu Qing awkwardly waved at him. "Hi."
Qi Weichen glanced at her and turned to walk back inside. Chu Qing stood still, not moving. After a few steps, he frowned and turned back. "Come in."
"The procedure isn't complete yet," Chu Qing said seriously.
Qi Weichen walked back to her. "What procedure?"
Chu Qing grinned and suddenly jumped onto him. Qi Weichen instinctively caught her, and then she kissed him. His expression softened, and all his anger dissipated. He had intended to teach her a lesson, but now he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Holding her, he closed the front door and made their way to the bedroom. After a long kiss, Chu Qing rolled around on his large bed and asked lazily, "Not angry anymore?"
"You knew I was angry?" Qi Weichen asked in return.
Chu Qing snorted lightly. "I didn't know at first, but when you ignored me today, I figured it out. You're so petty. I just played on my phone a bit more recently and needed to catch up on sleep during the day. Is that worth getting angry over?"
"If I kept giving you the cold shoulder, wouldn't you get angry?" Qi Weichen said this, but he was playing with a lock of her hair, not looking angry at all.
Chu Qing closed her eyes and smiled. "I know I was wrong. From now on, I'll come to your house to nap during the day. That way, I can keep you company and still play games at night."
"Can't you just have a healthier sleep schedule?" Qi Weichen sighed.
Chu Qing hugged him. "They're all night owls. No one plays with me during the day, so I have to accommodate them."
Qi Weichen was silent for a long time. "I'll keep you company from now on."
Chu Qing opened her eyes. "Really?"
"Mm." Qi Weichen's gaze was soft.
Chu Qing's eyes lit up. "Great! You're so smart, you must be really good at games too!" Saying this, she no longer felt sleepy and began to teach Qi Weichen how to play games. Qi Weichen obligingly lay down next to her.
In Chu Qing's eyes, Qi Weichen was capable of anything. Even with completely new things, he could quickly pick them up. However, she never expected him to be so... terrible at playing video games.
After teaching him for an entire afternoon, he had memorized what everything was and its attributes. He could instantly judge which weapon to use at what time. Yet it was all just theoretical - his hands couldn't keep up with his brain, and he always ended up being the one getting killed.
Chu Qing was utterly defeated by him: "Now I know who Qi Muyang takes after with his poor gaming skills."
"Give me some time, I'll learn it quickly," Qi Weichen said, pressing his lips together.
Chu Qing didn't want to teach him anymore, but she couldn't refuse his persistence. So she had to continue teaching him. As a result, she didn't get to nap during the day. When she got home and finished dinner, she went straight to bed. Surprisingly, she woke up at 8 AM the next day. The first thing she did after getting up was to find Qi Weichen, and they started playing games again.
After several days of Chu Qing's patient guidance, Qi Weichen finally stopped dying right at the start of the game. However, Chu Qing had completely lost interest in playing games and only wanted to do something else with him.
As long as her attention was on him, Qi Weichen was willing to do anything and naturally complied. After the couple spent some time being lovey-dovey, the exam results finally came out.
On the day of checking the scores, Chu Qing was at home with her parents, sitting in front of the computer. Her father was nervously comforting her while watching her input the information: "It's okay, whatever score you get is fine. Mom and Dad know you tried your best. No matter what, you're still our precious daughter..."
"You're so nervous yourself, don't say it doesn't matter," her mother glared at him.
Her father swallowed and fell silent. The couple stared intently at the screen. When the score page refreshed, they both froze.
"647, it's an exceptional performance, but this score might be a bit risky for A University, right? Probably can't choose the top majors," Chu Qing frowned, somewhat dissatisfied.
Her parents were still in shock. Hearing her words, they looked at her dazedly. Chu Qing sighed and stood up to leave: "Never mind, I'll go ask Qi Weichen and see what he says."
After she left, her parents looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, her mother squeezed out a sentence: "...How many points?"
"647... You take a look too, I'm afraid my eyes are playing tricks on me," her father said cautiously.
Her mother immediately looked at the screen. Even with such a large number in front of her eyes, she still felt like she couldn't see clearly. After a moment, she gasped: "647!"
"My daughter is guaranteed to get into a top university!" Her father finally reacted.
Chu Qing was outside calling Qi Weichen. Hearing their noisy reaction, she was about to tell them to keep it down when they rushed out and hugged her. Squeezed between two adults, Chu Qing was almost suffocated and had to hang up the phone first.
Her parents' excitement continued for three days. Not only did all their relatives and friends know her score, even people from the neighboring community who didn't know her would congratulate her when they saw her. Chu Qing had the urge to send them both to a mental hospital.
With the scores out, it was soon time to choose majors. Although she had said she wanted to go to A University, when it came time to fill out the application, she became temporarily confused.
"You must be careful with your first choice. Don't rush, I'll help you find a consultant to ask. Actually, you don't necessarily have to apply to A University, we should prioritize a safe choice," her mother advised.
Chu Qing frowned: "No, Qi Weichen is going to A University, I want to go there too."
"Before deciding on a school, you only need to determine one thing - what major you want to choose. You shouldn't consider anything else," her mother became serious, "I understand you want to be with him all the time, but you don't have to be together by going to the same school. You should think carefully about what you like."
Chu Qing had said similar words to Qi Muyang before, and now hearing her mother say this to her, she felt a sense of déjà vu. Looking at the list of majors under A University, she frowned and said: "I'll do scientific research in the future."
"Do you like scientific research?" her mother was a bit surprised.
Chu Qing was silent for a while, then squeezed out a sentence: "If I'm going to do it in the future, I should like it, right?"
"You've got it backwards. You should like it now, and then you'll do it in the future. Besides, scientific research covers so many areas. Which area are you interested in?" her mother asked again.
Chu Qing was stunned and couldn't answer. She used to live aimlessly, only waiting to graduate and start a small business to support herself. But Qi Weichen had led her onto a different path. She had been pushed forward entirely, so naturally, she didn't know what she liked. She only knew that her future self would do scientific research, but she didn't even know in what field.
"...You're just saying that off the top of your head, aren't you? Sigh, I won't interfere with this matter, but if you really like a good major at A University, then go for it. If the major you want to choose has better schools for study, I still hope you can be cautious," her mother said, then left a pile of university materials and went out.
Chu Qing sat alone in her room, casually glancing at those materials. She noticed that many of the materials had been flipped through many times, obviously her mother had been studying them. She sighed, tidied up all the materials and put them in the drawer, then fell onto the bed with a headache.
Qi Weichen had asked her about her application choices several times, but since she hadn't decided yet, she always brushed him off. Finally, Qi Weichen came to her house directly.
Her parents weren't home, so she led him straight to her room. Chu Qing didn't want to think about those troublesome things and asked him enthusiastically: "Want to watch a movie?"
"Sure," Qi Weichen agreed.
Chu Qing turned on the computer and searched for a while. When she saw "The Butterfly Effect," she felt a spark and chose this movie. The two of them quietly leaned against each other, relaxing and watching the movie. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Halfway through the movie, Chu Qing suddenly asked: "Do you think if we make a small change now, it will have an impact on the future?"
"Like what?" Qi Weichen asked casually.
Chu Qing pondered: "For example, if I choose a different major and don't end up doing scientific research, will Qi Muyang still be born?"
Qi Weichen paused for a moment: "No matter how your career path changes, it won't affect our relationship."
"But what if it does? Will the future still be the same as the 2042 we experienced?" Chu Qing was a bit troubled, "I've been thinking about these things lately. Because I'm worried that something I do might change the future, I've been restraining myself, afraid that one wrong step might prevent Qi Muyang from being born."
"That won't happen," Qi Weichen comforted her, "You think the future will easily change because of your actions and decisions, but you haven't considered that every one of your actions and decisions is made based on the accumulation of your previous life experiences. It's impossible to step out of your own behavioral patterns. Even if the future does change, the variation won't be significant."
"...I don't understand."
Qi Weichen was silent for a moment, then simplified his language: "Don't worry about the future. Do whatever you want to do. Even if the future trajectory is different from before, Muyang will still be born."
"How can you be so sure?" Chu Qing was curious.
Qi Weichen looked at her firmly: "Because no matter what happens, no matter what decisions you make, I will always be with you."
Since they would always be together, Qi Muyang, as their child, would definitely be born.
Chu Qing was stunned, then nodded after a while: "I understand now. Then I won't worry about it anymore."
"Mm."
Having resolved her doubts, Chu Qing immediately felt relieved. She got up and went to the kitchen to get drinks. Qi Weichen looked at her somewhat messy room, quietly cleaned it up, and put her things back in their proper places. When he opened the drawer to organize it, he immediately saw the materials for other universities that had been flipped through many times.
He recalled what she had just told him, and his fingertips trembled slightly.
"Qi Weichen, do you want some cola?" Chu Qing's voice sounded from outside.
Qi Weichen calmly closed the drawer and remained silent for a long time. Chu Qing ran in with a bottle of cola: "Why aren't you saying anything? I only brought one bottle, I'll just let you have a sip."
"I don't want any, you drink it," Qi Weichen lowered his eyes.
Chu Qing knew he rarely drank these things, so she unashamedly claimed the entire bottle of cola for herself. Qi Weichen was silent for a long time, then asked: "Besides A University, are there other schools you want to apply to?"
"No, I'm not interested in other schools," Chu Qing said casually.
If she wasn't interested, why did she keep a pile of materials from other universities, which had clearly been flipped through many times? Qi Weichen's words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't ask. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "If there are other schools you want to go to, remember to tell me. I'll go with you."
"Come on, you're the top scorer in the college entrance exam. How could I dare to make you accommodate me?" Chu Qing teased, winking at him. "Right, Mr. Genius?"
Qi Weichen's fingertips unconsciously pressed on the chair, his tone still calm: "So, if you go to another school, you don't plan to take me with you?"
"... Didn't I just say I'm not planning to go to other schools?" Chu Qing looked at him, puzzled. "Were you spacing out just now?"
Qi Weichen shook his head slightly, not speaking further.
Chu Qing didn't think much of it and started chatting about other things with him. She seemed much more relaxed after his brief reassurance. Qi Weichen, however, grew heavier in his thoughts. He kept getting distracted while talking to her and eventually left early, not even giving Chu Qing a chance to ask questions.
Chu Qing was curious about his sudden change in behavior, but seeing he didn't want to communicate, she didn't follow him. Instead, she continued to ponder what major she should choose.
After thinking for two straight days without reaching a conclusion, she secretly logged into Qi Weichen's account to see what major he had chosen. She knew Qi Weichen always wanted to do research that would be meaningful for humanity, so she wasn't surprised to see he had chosen a medical major.
Although A University's medical program wasn't the best in the country, they had partnerships with the best medical schools abroad and sent outstanding students there for further studies every year. Just in terms of faculty, they were leagues ahead of other universities. This was precisely what Qi Weichen was interested in, which was why he didn't go to the top-ranked school.
If he were to engage in research and development in this field in the future, A University would indeed be an excellent choice. Thinking about her boyfriend possibly bringing home a Nobel Prize one day, Chu Qing couldn't help but chuckle to herself. As she was laughing, she suddenly had an epiphany, feeling like she had found her own choice.
... Since she couldn't find a major she liked, why not choose a more meaningful direction? Chu Qing's heart suddenly started racing. After being lost for so long, she seemed to have found her future direction.
Almost without hesitation, she chose the exact same major as Qi Weichen. Although it was risky for her to apply for this major with her scores, she decided to take the chance once she made up her mind. At worst, she could opt for an adjustment and be placed somewhere else.
Unlike her previous confusion and worry, this time after making her choice, she felt joyful and happy. She couldn't wait to share it with someone, so she did just that. In the middle of the night, she ran into her parents' room and announced her decision.
"Mom will support you no matter what you do."
"Dad too!"
Chu Qing grinned, then cautiously asked after a moment, "Can I go see Qi Weichen? I want to tell him this good news."
"Go ahead, it's too late now, just stay at his place," her mom said, yawning.
Her dad frowned, "They're so young, how can Qing Qing stay over?"
"She's been able to stay over for the past few months, what's wrong with it now? If we were going to control it, it's too late now," her mom said, unconcerned.
Chu Qing stuck her tongue out at her dad and quickly slipped away.
When she arrived at Qi Weichen's door, she suddenly felt a bit shy. After composing herself, she knocked solemnly.
Qi Weichen appeared at the door quickly, frowning when he saw her, "Why are you out at this hour?"
"I've already chosen my major," Chu Qing's eyes sparkled.
Qi Weichen paused for a moment, turning his face away nonchalantly, "So you've come to inform me?"
"Yes, I've come to tell you." Chu Qing was too happy to notice his unusual mood.
Qi Weichen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. After a while, he lowered his eyes and said, "Chu Qing, don't think about leaving me behind."
"Huh?"
Qi Weichen raised his eyes to look at her, "Even if you go to another school, somewhere far away from me, I'll come to see you every holiday, every weekend. I'll openly appear in front of everyone you know, letting them know you have a boyfriend. I'll become friends with your friends, asking them to keep an eye on you for me. I'll... I'll marry you as soon as possible, binding you to me legally. Don't think about separating from me..."
"Hold on," Chu Qing interrupted, looking completely bewildered. "Who told you I'm going to another school in another city?"
"You still want to hide it from me?" Qi Weichen's eyes were slightly red, the last bit of his composure disappearing. "I saw it all, those university materials in your drawer, clearly flipped through many times. You just want to leave, and you want to leave secretly."
Chu Qing was stunned for a moment, finally remembering those materials she had forgotten about.
"Why did you hide it from me? Did you think I would stop you? Or have you prepared to leave me, so you wanted to catch me off guard? Planning to break up right after graduation. Chu Qing, you're cruel."
Qi Weichen's voice was cold, but a hint of accusation seeped through his words.
Chu Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Those materials were flipped through by my mom. She gave them to me and I just put them in the drawer. I've indeed been struggling with what major to choose these days, but I never thought about going to another school. I came here to tell you that I've chosen the same major as you. If I can get admitted with my first choice, we can continue to attend classes together in the future."
Joking aside, even without the Qi Weichen factor, A University was her initial goal. How could she not come to this school?
Qi Weichen was stunned, "What did you say?"
Chu Qing gave him a sidelong glance, then stood on her tiptoes and shouted in his ear, "I said I'm going to stick to you forever! Not just in school, but at work too, always and forever..."
Before she could finish, Qi Weichen pinned her against the door, silencing her with a kiss.
