CH 20

Time flies.

Finally, the day of the college entrance examinations has arrived.

In the pink dorm room, Youyou clung tightly onto the hem of Mu Qingxue’s white shirt; drops of sweat beading on her forehead.

“Top, top student Qingxue, what should I do? I’m scared.”

Even though Mu Qingxue had done her best to reassure her yesterday, You You was still nervous this morning. Because of this, she had barely even touched her breakfast.

“Youyou, be good. Don’t be afraid.”

Putting their admission tickets, identity cards, and other necessary items into two transparent stationery bags, Mu Qingxue gently patted You You’s head, then carefully checked to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.

Her expression was calm and composed.

Watching Mu Qingxue enviously, Youyou took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her nervousness.

After the two of them finished packing, they left the dorm. Wei Yang was waiting for them downstairs in the car. The four of them were taking the exam in the same school but not in the same examination room.

In the car, Wei Yang and Ji Lin quickly noticed that something was wrong with Youyou. They looked at each other and could see the helplessness in each other’s eyes.

“I mean, Youyou, is the exam really that scary?”

Wei Yang took out two bottles of mineral water from the refrigerator and handed them to Youyou and Mu Qingxue. While driving, he observed Youyou’s expression in the rearview mirror.

“Just answer the questions like you usually do. If you know the answer, fill it out; if you don’t, leave it blank, or just guess. Don’t stress over it too much.”

“Yeah, just do your best.”

Gently taking in Wei Yang’s words, Ji Lin pursed his lips and showed a rare hint of a smile on his handsome and cool face.

“Anyway, no matter who it is, no one expects you to score high.”

Youyou: …

Does he mean that no one will say anything even if she performs poorly?

Her mood strangely improved.

Youyou opened the bottle of mineral water and drank it, feeling slightly relaxed.

Mu Qingxue, who was beside her, secretly raised her eyebrows at this scene.

She had been trying to comfort her for a long time without any effect, but the difficult problem was solved so quickly by Ji Lin. It made her feel a bit frustrated.

They drove all the way to the vicinity of the exam site, and Wei Yang soon found a place to park. Then, the four of them walked into the school.

“Qingxue, as the top student, you have to work hard and strive for the top score.”

As they said goodbye, Youyou clenched her fists in determination.

With slightly narrowed eyes, Mu Qingxue nodded with a clear and gentle tone, “You too.”

Although Youyou, as a princess of the Bai family, did not need to have excellent grades, Mu Qingxue still hoped that she would not be too foolish. After all, she did not want Youyou to be deceived by anyone other than her.

“Mhmm, I will try my best,” replied YouYou. After waving goodbye to Mu Qingxue, Wei Yang, and Ji Lin, she went through a quick inspection and walked into the classroom to find her seat.

The first exam was Chinese language. After filling in everything she could, YouYou propped up her chin with one hand and started chatting with the system about the task worlds. “XiXi, are all the task worlds like this?” she asked.

Although YouYou’s meaning was unclear, XiXi understood what she was asking. Flying lazily around the system space, XiXi shook her head and said, [“No, not every world is the same. The main god has countless worlds under their command, ranging from modern worlds similar to this one to ancient worlds, mythological worlds, cultivation worlds, ancient martial arts worlds, apocalypse worlds, futuristic high-tech worlds, magical worlds, and many, many more.”]

[“There are worlds that are entirely composed of water, worlds full of yellow sand, worlds where only men exist, worlds where only women exist, and worlds that are ruled by advanced mechanical life forms like the system. Of course, there are also worlds that are dominated by all kinds of strange and bizarre creatures.”]

It was just like opening a chatterbox.

The system talked incessantly, and Youyou listened attentively.

Gradually, Youyou’s eyes shone brighter and brighter as the system described various unknown worlds, revealing a deep longing for them.

“That’s so interesting, Xixi, I want to go see those worlds you mentioned.”

“Uh…”

Suddenly, Xixi froze and awkwardly scratched its head.

“I’m sorry, host, according to our current level, we don’t have the right to choose the type of task world independently. Moreover, some of those worlds are not suitable for human system holders to go to, because the danger level is just too high.”

In those worlds, the vast majority of task takers exist as nourishment.

“Oh, I see.”

The light in her eyes dimmed a little, but Youyou quickly perked up with a smile.

“If you have the time, Xixi, please tell me more about those worlds,” Youyou said, hoping to learn more.

Since she couldn’t go to those worlds, Youyou decided to listen and enjoy the stories as she really liked to hear them.

[“Sure, host.”]

Xixi thought to itself that this host was really easy to please. They squinted their eyes and when they looked back at the script in front of Youyou, their cat-like face suddenly twitched.

In fact, Xixi didn’t tell the host that in its eyes, these questions were a piece of cake. When it comes to speed and accuracy, even Mu Qingxue can’t beat it.

However, in order to help its host stay in character, Xixi refrained from helping Youyou.

Xixi sighed, estimating the score of its host mentally. Then, it continued to tell Youyou the bizarre and fantastical stories to entertain her.

Youyou was immersed in Xixi’s words and had a very fulfilling past couple of days. Her calm and positive mindset surprised Mu Qingxue, Wei Yang and Ji Lin.

Speaking of which, the exam is over.

After the exam, Youyou started to stick by Mu Qingxue’s side, telling her about fun places to visit, highly-rated scenic spots online, local cuisine specialties, and other interesting tidbits.

Meanwhile, as Mu Qingxue’s ears were constantly being assaulted by Youyou’s chatter, her thoughts had long drifted to other places.

High school graduation meant that she had to go to college, which meant that she had to earn her tuition and living expenses over the summer break.

Otherwise, she’d have to either live frugally, or accept YouYou’s help, which is something the sensitive and proud Mu Qingxue would never do.

However, as she watched the excited expression on the girl in her arms, Mu Qingxue furrowed her brow and realized for the first time that being too preoccupied with someone wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

On one side, Mu Qingxue was struggling with her thoughts, while on the other side, after finishing her exam, Qu Lanqin returned to her dorm room and stared at her textbooks, feeling helpless and on the verge of tears.

“Oh no, this is terrible,” thought Qu Lanqin as she returned to her dormitory after taking the exam, staring at her textbooks on the desk with a feeling of despair. She had messed up on the exam.

She had studied hard and persevered in her previous life, eventually getting into the prestigious Imperial University even despite her somewhat mediocre grades. But when she was reborn, she forgot all her high school knowledge, and, coupled with her borderline obsessive focus on Mu Qingxue and Bai Youyou during this period, she hadn’t put in any effort to review what she knew. So, except for the English and Chinese compositions at the end, which she had written well by relying on the advantage of her rebirth… She had totally flunked the exam.

The thought that she’d lost her opportunity to attend the same university as Mu Qingxue made Qu Lanqin turn pale with a loud buzzing sound reverberating in her head.

And it’s not just that.

Her family had gone to great lengths to get her enrolled in this prestigious school because they gave extra credit points during the exams.

She had made her family proud in her previous life by successfully getting into a top university, but now, she doesn’t know how to face them after failing to take advantage of this golden opportunity.

She’s done for.

Suddenly, Qu Lanqin realized something.

…

“By the way, Qingxue, I’ll be heading back to my family’s place for a couple of days since I’ve graduated. Do you want to come with me?”