177. Kidnapped Him and Yet Rejected Him

When July arrived, the morning of the second was dedicated to estimating scores and submitting high school applications. Fang Chang'an specifically hurried to the classroom early. After the first semester of eighth year, since he was no longer staying in the school dormitories, he had handed over the boys' dormitory key. The girls' dormitory key was held by Liu Bei, but before the start of the holiday, worrying that she might arrive late, Liu Bei had given it to him.

Having held the key for the entirety of his seventh year, only to finally open a door once right before graduating in ninth year, and then thinking of Zhang Lu, Fang Chang'an could not help but feel a lingering wave of emotion.

Several classmates were already waiting when he arrived. With parting imminent, the joy of a brief reunion after a short separation made everyone exceptionally enthusiastic. Coupled with today's score estimation and application submission, topics of conversation were in endless supply. As they chatted, the classroom gradually filled with people.

That Fang Chang'an would apply to the city's No. 1 High School was practically a consensus. The other top students did not have overly ambitious ideas either; they could safely settle for the county's No. 1 High School. If they failed to score high enough for the county's No. 1, they could fall back on the township's No. 1 High School. The ones who found themselves in an agonizing dilemma were the top students ranked second through fifth in their grade. Some felt they had performed well and were eager to try their luck at the city's No. 1 High School, yet they worried that if their scores were too high for the city school yet not enough for admission, the county's No. 1 High School might look down upon them for not being their primary choice, thereby inviting unnecessary trouble.

Of course, very few people possessed such worries. In Class Nine, there were only three: Liu Bei, Liang Jingyu, and Wang Ke. Class Eight added only Mao Shanshan and one other boy.

Wang Ke arrived a bit late. The moment she stepped into the classroom, Cheng Mengfei followed right behind her. Wang Ke merely exchanged a glance with Fang Chang'an, pressed her lips together, and took her seat.

"Everyone, take a look at the answer keys. Please check them as carefully as possible."

Without wasting words, Cheng Mengfei distributed the booklets printed with the standard answers row by row starting from the front. Those who received the answers immediately began checking them with utmost concentration.

Fang Chang'an did not let even this brief moment slip by. He shifted closer to Wang Ke and whispered, "Why did you come so late?"

Wang Ke replied in a soft voice, "Waiting for Wang Cheng."

"Oh."

Fang Chang'an nodded, his eyes fixed on her the entire time. Wang Ke met his gaze, then shyly looked away. As long as she could not see him staring at her, she could pretend that nothing of the sort was happening.

The answer booklets were quickly passed back. Showing restraint in the classroom, Fang Chang'an took them and set aside a copy each for himself and Wang Ke, whispering to her, "Estimate your score first, and write it down item by item."

"Mhm."

Wang Ke pressed her lips together, feeling somewhat nervous. She opened the answer booklet and began estimating her score based on her memory against the standard answers.

This was a true test of memory, as many people had long since forgotten what they had written. Checking multiple-choice questions was simpler, since most students copied down their answers in advance.

Fang Chang'an remembered everything clearly and estimated his score quickly, soon calculating his "own" high school entrance examination score: 687. With the 45 points from the experimental and physical education additional tests, his total came to 732.

After finishing his calculation, he turned to look at Wang Ke. She had also basically finished estimating. After waiting a moment and adding up her subject scores, she arrived at 637 points. Adding the 45 bonus points brought her to only 682, which made admission to the city's No. 1 High School an absolute impossibility.

Upon calculating this score, the young girl's face—which had been slightly flushed a moment ago because he leaned in close—seemed to turn pale. She looked up at Fang Chang'an. In those bright eyes, her expression was panicked, helpless, guilty, and on the verge of tears.

Quickly, Fang Chang'an poked her cheek with his finger. Wang Ke started in surprise, blushing scarlet even at a moment like this. Acting as if nothing had happened, Fang Chang'an took her booklet and said, "Let me check it for you."

He took it and flipped through the pages. As expected, her score estimations for the subjective questions were generally far too low. He began questioning her in detail about her answers, re-grading her according to his own standards.

As he scored her, he chided her: "You're being far too conservative. No, you have to listen to me."

Under his bold strokes, Wang Ke's score successfully jumped by thirty points, bringing her up to 712. The young girl looked somewhat dazed. She pressed her lips together and asked softly, "Won't this be too high?"

"How are you going to get into the city's No. 1 High School if it's not high?"

"But..."

Wang Ke bit her lip, looking rather aggrieved. "No matter how many points I estimate for myself, the grading teachers still have to actually give them to me."

"Hey, you still don't trust me?"

Turning sideways toward her, Fang Chang'an asked with a solemn expression, "Do my grades look better or yours?"

"...Yours."

"Am I smarter or are you?"

"...You are."

"Am I older or are you?"

The young girl blinked, immediately caught on, and quietly rolled her eyes. Pouting, she mumbled, "You're older."

"So you have to listen to me."

Showing no trace of pride, Fang Chang'an continued with the matter at hand. "Even with this score, the city's No. 1 High School isn't entirely guaranteed. Based on past experience, the cutoff score for the city's No. 1 High School this year should be around 710..."

He paused, looking into her eyes, lowered his voice slightly, and earnestly instructed her, "It's a bit risky."

"That means there's hope, right?"

Wang Ke looked back at him, slowly breaking into a smile. Her voice was soft, crisp, delicate, and sweet: "I'm applying!"

The classroom was noisy and bustling as everyone discussed their estimated scores and how to apply. Seeing that the time was right, Cheng Mengfei walked back in to check on the score estimations.

"Raise your hands if anyone estimated a score above seven hundred so that I can see."

Everyone's gazes naturally turned to Fang Chang'an. He raised his hand without the slightest hesitation. Wang Ke raised her hand as well, followed by Liang Jingyu and Liu Bei.

Cheng Mengfei nodded and asked again, "What about above six hundred and fifty?"

This time, the number of hands grew considerably, numbering over a dozen. After asking about a couple more score brackets, Cheng Mengfei announced, "Students who have matters to attend to may leave now. We'll submit our applications at two o'clock this afternoon. Fang Chang'an, the few of you who estimated over seven hundred, come with me to the office. The rest of you are welcome to come along if you wish."

Cheng Mengfei called them over naturally to inquire about their application plans. Once in the office, she asked for their scores first. Fang Chang'an had the highest, Wang Ke was second, and both Liang Jingyu and Liu Bei estimated just over seven hundred points.

"Chang'an, you're definitely applying to the city's No. 1 High School. What about the three of you?"

Seeing that Liu Bei and Liang Jingyu remained silent, Wang Ke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I want to try for it as well."

Cheng Mengfei smiled and nodded. "You certainly can try. If it doesn't work out, you can always fall back on the county's No. 1 High School."

Liang Jingyu chimed in, "I want to try it too."

Liu Bei, however, said, "I want to apply to the county's No. 1 High School."

Looking somewhat surprised, Cheng Mengfei glanced at Liu Bei. "Aren't you going to give it a try? You don't need to worry about the primary choice issue. With scores as high as yours, even if the city's No. 1 High School doesn't admit you, going to the county's No. 1 High School afterward will definitely not be a problem."

Hesitating for a moment, Liu Bei explained, "The city is too far away, and I feel like my estimated score might be a bit too high... It might not actually be that high..."

"There are shuttle buses; they're just like the ones going to the county. Oh, well, the cars going to the county seem to drop you off right at the gates of the county's No. 1 High School... But city buses are very convenient, too."

The city's No. 1 High School and the county's No. 1 High School belonged to completely different tiers. Concerned that the student failed to distinguish between primary and secondary priorities, Cheng Mengfei still urged Liu Bei to give the city school a try.

The other classmates who had followed them in to listen also joined in with words of persuasion. Cheng Mengfei concluded, "Applications aren't submitted until this afternoon anyway, so you can think it over a bit more."

When application time came that afternoon, Liu Bei ultimately applied for the city's No. 1 High School as her first choice, the county's No. 1 High School as her second, and the township's No. 1 High School as her third. There was no need to fill out any further choices. Fang Chang'an and Wang Ke did the exact same.

With their applications submitted, everything they could and should do was completed. Next came leaving it all to fate. Although the future remained unknown, most people were relatively optimistic, and relaxed, happy smiles could be seen everywhere.

Fang Chang'an had no intention of chatting up Wang Ke for leisure, but Wang Cheng and his friend still wanted to go to the internet cafe. Telling her to wait a moment, Wang Cheng added, "If all else fails, go find Fang Chang'an." Having no other choice, Fang Chang'an had to lead her and a few other students from the township off to play billiards.

This time, Fang Dianqiu and Liu Bei went along as well.

Following the exact same routine as the day they finished their exams, they agreed to meet up at the shoe store. Inevitably, the two of them committed the same foolish mistake once again—both completely forgot that they could have ridden their bicycles straight to the billiard courtyard.

Consequently, after finishing their game, they could only watch helplessly as the others pedaled away on their bicycles, leaving the two of them to endure the arduous walk back.

The same alley, the same dusk. Holding hands, the two of them slowly walked out of the narrow lane. Fang Chang'an behaved with much more composure than last time; even his sweaty palms had decreased significantly.

Wang Ke didn't have sweaty palms—probably because she rarely sweated—but she was even more shy than before. Because the previous incident had happened so suddenly and left her in a daze, this time she truly had a premonition of it. Therefore, when that moment arrived, she felt even more nervous and bashful, barely uttering a word the entire way.

Maintaining extreme vigilance, Fang Chang'an gripped the young girl's slender, soft, and smooth little hand as they slowly walked outward, occasionally giving it a stealthy squeeze while carefully observing the street ahead of the alley, terrified that another Mercedes-Benz might drive past.

Fortunately, all the way until they reached the main street, a glance forward and back revealed not a Mercedes, nor even a sedan. Everything within view consisted solely of pedal bicycles, tricycles, and agricultural motor-tricycles.

"What are you looking at?"

After letting go of his hand, Wang Ke calmed down slightly. Seeing him look back and forth, she asked with mild curiosity.

Fang Chang'an smiled and replied, "Imprinting this place a bit deeper into my memory."

The young girl's delicate face turned red. Biting her lip, she looked away and pretended not to hear.

Upon returning to the shop, Rongrong and Fang Lujun were both present. The young couple chatted idly with the two elders for a bit. When Wang Cheng and his friend arrived, Wang Ke bid her farewell and left. Fang Chang'an then headed home to make a phone call to Shen Mo.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

"Hello?"

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Fang Chang'an. May I speak to Shen Mo?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Momo went out to play with her parents and won't be back for a few days."

"When she returns, could you please pass along a message for me? Just tell her I've applied to the city's No. 1 High School."

"Alright."

The person answering the phone this time was their housekeeper, and the excuse sounded as though Shen Mo had instructed her in advance. Having delivered his message, Fang Chang'an hung up.

On the other end, Shen Mo—who was also at home after just finishing her applications—listened to the housekeeper relay the message. Sitting on the sofa, she uttered an "oh" and continued watching television.

The show playing was *Home with Kids*, a sitcom that had become wildly popular over the past two years and was broadcast repeatedly across various television stations.

Two cats were curled up beside her, licking each other's fur with gentle, affectionate sounds, inseparable and deeply attached.

The housekeeper had no idea who Fang Chang'an was, and thus paid no mind. Shu Meng, who was unusually at home and enjoying a rare moment of leisure, also heard the housekeeper's relay. Seeming to recall something, she asked, "Sister Zhang, did Fang Chang'an mention what score he estimated?"

"He didn't say. Just that he applied to the city's No. 1 High School."

Shu Meng nodded. Shen Mo, who had been engrossed in the television, turned her head to look at her mother and asked, "Mom, why are you asking about that?"

"Just asking out of curiosity," Shu Meng replied with a smile, before turning the question around: "What about you? What did he ever do to you that you're completely ignoring him? You even went out to play—didn't you submit your applications today?"

Turning her head away in silence, Shen Mo continued watching TV and giggled foolishly.

Shu Meng sighed. "If I'd known, I should have insisted on sending you abroad to study. But you stubbornly refused to go, insisting on heading to the city's No. 1 High School instead."

"What's so great about studying abroad?"

"I won't repeat what I've already said. Your dad is coming home for dinner tonight. Come grocery shopping with Mom in a little bit. Are you going?"

"No!"

"Really not?"

"Mhm."

A moment later, the housekeeper routinely picked up her basket, and Shu Meng changed her shoes, preparing to head out. Without a sound, Shen Mo walked over, swiftly changed into her shoes, and followed them out the door. Seeing her mother looking at her with an amused smile, she puckered her lips in defense: "I'm not coming to help you buy groceries; I'm just checking to see if there's anything I like to eat."

Shu Meng chuckled and tapped her gently on the forehead.

The three of them went out to the neighboring shopping mall to buy groceries. Upon returning, Shu Meng and the housekeeper set to work cooking dinner. As Shen Mo was watching TV, the phone rang again. She walked over, checked the caller ID first, and only then answered it, chatting for quite a while before hanging up.

Hearing the noise, Shu Meng emerged wearing an apron and asked, "Who was that?"

"Wang Ke."

"Oh, how did she do on her exams?"

"She's doing alright, I suppose. She said she applied to the city's No. 1 High School, too."

Shu Meng smiled warmly. "Did she come to look for you? That's a wonderful thing. You should invite her over for a meal sometime; we mustn't lack in hospitality."

"She didn't come looking for me at all," Shen Mo muttered, hugging a pillow and returning to watch TV by herself. Seeing the two cats curled up together, snoring away in deep slumber, she felt a sudden surge of annoyance and gave each of them a light tap on the head. Finding that neither of them woke up or paid her any attention only added to her irritation. Throwing the pillow down, she hit the fluffy white kitten, Xiaoxue, right on target, waking it up. Grabbing the kitten into her arms, Shen Mo thoroughly disrupted their snuggle, and only then did she feel sufficiently satisfied as she continued watching TV with the cat in her arms.

Shu Meng stared at her daughter's back for a moment and slowly let out a sigh.

Just then, the front door unlocked and Shen Chengli walked in. After chatting idly with his wife and daughter for a while and finishing their meal, he accompanied his wife out for a walk downstairs once the sun had set.

As the couple strolled halfway around the residential complex, Shen Chengli noticed that his wife seemed to have something on her mind. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Shu Meng retorted unhappily, "What else could I be thinking about? Your precious daughter, of course."

Shen Chengli asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with Momo now?"

Shooting him a sideways glance, Shu Meng delivered her verdict: "Puppy love."

"Ah?"

Before Shen Chengli could manage to express his utter disbelief, Shu Meng dealt him a second blow: "And heartbreak."

"Hold on..."

Shen Chengli froze for a few seconds. "How did you figure that out?"

"I guessed."

"..."

"Don't panic just yet. Hear me out."

Shu Meng sighed, took her husband's hand, and continued walking forward. "Remember the day she finished her exams? Momo made a huge fuss about going right back to the township. We had originally agreed she would stay here, but once we got there, she threw another fit about leaving. Do you remember that?"

"Obviously!"

Shu Meng shot him another glare, prompting Shen Chengli to hurriedly amend his statement: "I remember."

"When she got out of the car, her eyes were red and she looked like she'd been crying. Yet she had been happy the entire way there. Why did she suddenly become unhappy?"

Shen Chengli helplessly replied, "How would I know?"

"We were all in the car the whole time. Momo never got out once. She didn't have a mobile phone, she didn't contact anyone, and she wasn't holding any letters. So we can basically rule out any communication with the outside world."

"Yet she was happy all the way until she got out of the car—or rather, until we entered the township, at which point she turned gloomy. When we were passing through the main street, she was slumped over the backseat, probably secretly wiping away tears."

"There has to be a reason, right?"

"It's impossible for someone to have said something to her through the window without us noticing a single thing. Therefore..."

Stopping for a moment, Shu Meng turned her head to look at her husband. "Is it possible she saw something from inside the car?"

Frowning in thought, Shen Chengli remained silent.

Shu Meng continued, "In the entire township, there aren't many people who could make her cry—or rather, the people she cares about are just those few: Dad, Mom, Chengyan, Feifei. And at that time, all of them were safe and sound at home."

"Momo saw something, but she refuses to tell us."

"Fang Chang'an hadn't called home in years. Yet the day after we went to the township and came back, he called. I answered the phone, and he said he was looking for Momo. She refused to take it. Today, after finishing their applications, he called again, and she still refused to answer."

"Clearly, Momo is angry with him."

"So, because you took a wrong turn that day and we ended up driving down the main street, Momo very likely saw that Fang Chang'an outside the window. And whatever Fang Chang'an was doing at that moment was seen by Momo, which made her angry, upset, or heartbroken."

Shen Chengli still found it somewhat difficult to accept. "Even so, that doesn't prove it's puppy love, does it?"

"If they were just ordinary classmates, would Momo go so far as to cry on the spot? Would she be unable to wait even a single evening, insisting on rushing back from school that very afternoon just to go see him? You surely don't think your daughter was desperate to go back just to see her grandparents, do you?"

Speechless for a moment, Shen Chengli listened as Shu Meng pressed on. "The streets are crowded with people coming and going, and they're both so young. Fang Chang'an is far too precocious to do anything terribly outrageous. Most likely, he was with a girl he likes. If they were just walking together, Momo wouldn't react that strongly. They must have been walking hand-in-hand, and Momo happened to see them."

"Besides, while we were cooking just now, Wang Ke called again—the very same girl we met last summer. She's quite pretty, gets good grades, and told Momo that she also applied to the city's No. 1 High School. I casually probed by saying, 'She came to look for you, that's a wonderful thing,' and Momo muttered something under her breath about how it might not be to see her."

"So, the girl holding hands with Fang Chang'an is most likely Wang Ke."

Finishing her recap of the entire sequence of events, Shu Meng turned to her husband. "Momo has been exchanging letters with Fang Chang'an for the past two years. I suggested we put a stop to it, but you wouldn't let me, insisting it was a good thing and spouting nonsense about respecting the rules by breaking them, planting seeds deeper and all that. Look at you now! The boy has made off with your daughter."

"And after making off with her, he doesn't even want her!"