Chapter Forty-One: Trying to Retreat? I'll Knock Your Head Askew!
The words Wen Liang spoke today planted a seed deep within He Tianran’s heart.
When he returned home, he immediately searched for past written exam papers from the directing department and diligently worked through them. In some ways, He Tianran was indeed impatient; although he studied liberal arts, he never lacked logical thinking. He liked to plan everything meticulously and set detailed goals, especially when it came to things he was passionate about.
Being cautious before taking action was one of his strengths, but from another perspective, it bordered on indecisiveness, particularly in matters of the heart—after all, feelings could not be planned.
By three in the morning, he had completed nearly five years’ worth of preliminary exam papers from Port City Film Academy. Each paper contained 140 multiple-choice questions, and there were five papers in total. He scored over 80% on each.
This surprised him. Although the questions were indeed varied and intricate, he hadn’t expected his general knowledge, accumulated over time, to be so rich. When encountering specialized terminology, he wasn’t left completely in the dark.
This was a test of himself, and the results proved that his foundational knowledge was not far behind that of art exam candidates, giving him a boost of confidence.
“If I can clear the threshold, why not take a few more steps forward?” He Tianran thought to himself, then fell asleep peacefully.
The next day, he entered the classroom with dark circles under his eyes as the bell rang.
Cao Aiqing looked at him with curiosity and asked, “Aren’t you going to rest for a bit?”
He Tianran shook his head, his hand moving non-stop as he worked on the math homework he had neglected yesterday, which was due next class.
“What were you doing yesterday? You look exhausted.”
Hearing her concern, He Tianran paused and, jokingly for once, teased, “Aren’t you afraid of being punished again if you keep talking to me?”
Cao Aiqing shot him a glare, scrunched her nose, baring her teeth in a mock fierce expression, and then ignored him.
Strangely, after returning with Zhang Zhifan yesterday, He Tianran had been listless all day, but today he seemed to have recovered suddenly. No one knew what had happened.
Thanks to his teasing remark, Cao Aiqing managed to suppress her curiosity and settled down to focus on class.
He spent the entire morning catching up on the assignments he had missed yesterday. Remarkably, he hadn’t done a single word of homework before, yet he stayed up late without complaint. If it weren’t for Cao Aiqing occasionally keeping an eye on the teacher, he probably would have gotten into trouble again.
During lunch break, He Tianran felt his hands were fine for catching up on homework, but his left ribs ached as if stabbed.
“Let me talk to you about something...” He Tianran said seriously, while Cao Aiqing looked innocently back.
“Could you please stop poking my tender side with your pen when you remind me? That spot’s really ticklish, and you’re so strong, I almost jumped out of my seat several times.”
“I—I saw the teacher coming and got nervous...” Cao Aiqing replied sheepishly.
“I’m the one doing homework. Don’t be nervous. When you get nervous, my thinking slows down.”
“...What’s a thinking field?”
“...It’s a state of mind only smart people have.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Cao Aiqing retorted. “You even got the last big question on the math test wrong. The answer’s clearly negative two, but you wrote root two! And you still say you’re smart!”
He Tianran, fully relaxed in front of Cao Aiqing now, wasn’t afraid; in fact, he found teasing the girl quite amusing. He clicked his tongue, “Hey, are you watching me again?”
“I’m not!” Cao Aiqing’s ears visibly reddened as she quickly turned her face away. He Tianran dared not say another word; otherwise, this crybaby might actually start crying. He thought for a moment and said mysteriously:
“I’ll tell you a secret, but don’t tell anyone...”
The girl ignored him, flipping through her book, though her ears perked up slightly.
“Next year’s college entrance exam math, the first question will be C. I guarantee it.”
“...” Cao Aiqing gave him a look as if he were crazy, then looked away. She felt her initial impression of He Tianran might need some revision...
“Statistically speaking, you do have a one-in-four chance of being right.”
“Then I’ll bet you... if—”
“Tianran.”
He Tianran blinked, about to speak, when handsome Zhang Zhifan came over, probably to ask about the cooperation for the evening party.
“Class monitor, perfect timing...”
“Hm?”
Zhang Zhifan looked at him puzzled. He Tianran asked, “What was the answer to the last big question on your math test?”
“Root two. The paper’s already submitted, so it’s too late to check now, right?”
“Perfect. Smart guy, class monitor.”
He Tianran snapped his fingers triumphantly, looking at Cao Aiqing, who was reading but suddenly lost her composure. She made a muffled sound, resting her arms on the desk and burying her face like an ostrich.
Zhang Zhifan found their behavior strange, feeling like an outsider.
Before he could react further, He Tianran stood up, rubbing his stomach.
“I’m hungry. Cafeteria?”
Zhang Zhifan nodded.
The two left the classroom in a line. Cao Aiqing peeked from behind her arms, watching the mischievous figure depart, then made another muffled sound, swaying slightly.
In the cafeteria, Zhang Zhifan stood ahead, holding his meal card, turning to He Tianran.
“What do you want? I’ll pay for it.”
“Lion’s head meatballs, stir-fried pork, fish-flavored shredded pork, two taels of rice, thanks.”
“...”
Zhang Zhifan smiled as usual but said nothing.
They found a quiet spot and finally began their conversation.
“Tianran, about what I asked you to do yesterday...”
“Guess.”
“...”
Perhaps still riding the high from his small victory over Cao Aiqing, He Tianran blurted out his thoughts, sounding unusually cheeky.
“You seem in a good mood, so I guess it worked?”
“Yeah, right. If it had worked, I wouldn’t even want to eat with you!”
He Tianran grumbled darkly in his heart but quickly returned to normal.
“Class monitor, let me share my feelings honestly.”
“Go ahead.”
“You said you wanted to replace me and collaborate with Wen Liang. Honestly, I don’t mind. You know me—I’m not keen on performing on stage...”
“Got it. So you want to...”
“I’ve thought of a way. I’ll make up an excuse that I’m really not up to it and have you accompany Wen Liang instead. Of course, I won’t say it was your idea. I’ll text her now, and you can see her reply live. How about that?”
He Tianran took a step back while advancing, having already prepared his excuse, making it hard for Zhang Zhifan to argue.
“Well... go ahead then...”
“Okay.”
He Tianran took out his phone and placed it in front of Zhang Zhifan, then sent Wen Liang a message in front of him:
“Can I bow out of the welcome party? I don’t think I’m up to it. Maybe you should find someone else to accompany you.”
Within five seconds, Wen Liang sent back seven or eight question marks in rapid succession, then a voice message.
“Do you think I’ll let that happen? Should I call my dad to knock your head crooked with one punch?”
Her voice was furious, like a tigress.
He Tianran stifled a laugh but wore a sour expression, and Zhang Zhifan’s face wasn’t much better.
“You heard that?”
“Yes...”
Just as they exchanged words, the phone suddenly vibrated. Wen Liang was calling.
“You answer, you answer...”
He Tianran shoved the phone into Zhang Zhifan’s hand. The latter stammered, “I-I-I...” like holding a hot potato, hesitating for a long moment. Just as he was about to pick up, the call stopped.
“Should I try calling again?”
He Tianran bit into his lion’s head meatball, trying to retrieve the phone to call back.
“I... I’ll think about it, think about it...”
Zhang Zhifan withdrew his hand, feeling awkward, and returned the phone.
Their trays were piled high with food, but Zhang Zhifan barely ate before leaving in a hurry, leaving behind the words, “There’s still a chance. The future is long.”
The scheming boy won a brief victory again, chewing his food tastelessly, his face betraying no emotion.
What he feared was not Zhang Zhifan replacing him to work with Wen Liang.
What he truly feared was Zhang Zhifan confessing.
Because once that happened, it would expose his own cowardice in facing emotions.
Whether successful or not, it would be like a mirror, reflecting his shame.