Fang Yi figured he might've been overthinking things.
Zhao Wanqiu had grown up in a single-parent household, lacking both fatherly affection and a sense of security.
She'd been following him around since they were little. It wasn't surprising that she'd developed a kind of emotional reliance on him.
Maybe… maybe she was just trying to find a father figure in him?
Wait a minute!
If that's the case, wouldn't that make this a situation of "I thought we were bros, but you see me as your daughter"?!
Ah, crap…
While he was caught up in these wild thoughts, Fang Yi had already made it to his front door without realizing it.
Zhuang Shufen saw her son spacing out at the doorstep and frowned. "Tsk! What's got you thinking so hard?"
"Huh?"
Fang Yi snapped out of it and joked, "I was just wondering whether I should go to Tsinghua or Peking University!"
"Oh, give it a rest with the Tsinghua and Peking talk. If you can get into any college at all, your dad and I will be over the moon," Zhuang Shufen scoffed.
"Mom, do you really have that little faith in me?" Fang Yi looked exasperated.
"Alright, enough nonsense. Why are you all sweaty again? Go wipe yourself off. We'll eat when your dad gets back." She knew exactly what kind of student her son was—his grades had been teetering on the edge of the Tier 2 college cutoff for years.
Truth be told, Fang Yi wasn't just spouting nonsense this time.
While reviewing in the afternoon, he suddenly realized he could remember every single question from his previous college entrance exam—down to the tiniest detail.
That was insane!
All he had to do was memorize the answers to those questions, and even if he couldn't become the national top scorer, getting into Tsinghua or Peking would be totally doable.
But Fang Yi didn't think it was worth the effort.
First of all, he wasn't planning on relying on his degree for his future. A university's just a university—what difference does it make where you go?
Second, he didn't really like the dry, biting cold of Beijing. He much preferred the warm, misty vibe of the Jiangnan region.
So he figured he'd just aim for a solid 985-tier score and call it a day.
Yup, decision made. Feeling great about it.
"Oh, by the way, Wanqiu gave me these sausages—said Auntie Wang brought them from back home."
Fang Yi dropped the sausages on the table and headed into the bathroom for a cold shower.
…
Not long after, Fang Yucheng returned from work.
Once he'd showered, Zhuang Shufen had already set the table for dinner.
As they sat down, Fang Yucheng uncapped his bottle of liquor and poured himself a glass. He was just about to take a blissful sip when Fang Yi suddenly said, "You should really cut down on drinking. Better yet, quit altogether."
"Don't tell me what to do. You've got the college entrance exam coming up—just focus on that," Fang Yucheng said with a straight face.
This was something a lot of parents did—clinging to their authority, unwilling to let their children question them.
Seeing this, Fang Yi's eyes lit up with an idea. He grinned and said, "Dad, how about this—if I get into Jinan University or Donghua University this time, you quit drinking. Deal?"
Huh?
Both Fang Yucheng and Zhuang Shufen were stunned. They exchanged confused glances.
Where was this confidence coming from?
"No problem!"
Fang Yucheng snapped back to attention and agreed immediately.
What kind of deal would he not agree to when it was such a guaranteed win?
He knew his son's grades. Jin University and Dong University? Ha! Even Su University was a stretch!
Besides, if by some miracle his son did get into a 985 university, then quitting drinking? Sure, worth it.
You might make a killing, but me? I never lose.
"Alright, it's settled then!" Fang Yi said quickly, worried his dad might change his mind.
In his past life, Fang Yucheng had suffered a stroke from years of heavy drinking. Half his body was paralyzed, and he couldn't even speak clearly.
So now that he had the chance to intervene, Fang Yi definitely wasn't going to waste it.
After dinner, Fang Yi tossed out a quick "I'm off to review!" and headed back to his room.
Seeing this, Fang Yucheng and Zhuang Shufen exchanged a glance, a trace of comfort in their eyes.
Once the dishes were done and the house tidied up, the elderly couple plopped down on the sofa, ready to watch The Sequel to Journey to the West.
…
Back in his room, Fang Yi glanced around before his eyes landed on the acoustic guitar hanging on the wall.
If memory served, he hadn't touched the thing since Zhao Wanqiu passed away in his previous life.
It had been nearly ten years.
Looking at it now, emotions welled up in his chest.
Back in high school, this guitar had earned him more than a few love letters.
He took it down gently and wiped away the layer of dust. Slowly, he strummed a few chords.
A soft, flowing melody filled the room like water trickling through the air.
"I once dreamed of roaming the world, sword in hand, to witness the splendor of life…"
He had just sung the first line when suddenly—
"I want to be a god! Happy as can be!!"
Liu Huan's booming, borderline-unhinged voice belted through the door.
Tsk!
Damn it—how could he forget about that?
The most iconic show of the year 2000.
Between its brainwashing theme song and over-the-top fight scenes, this drama was legendary. You only had to hear it once and your brain would be stuck in a loop.
Well, there goes the vibe.
Fang Yi pouted and tossed the guitar onto his bed.
Forget it. Time to study.
Studying makes me happy anyway.
…
When you're fully immersed in studying, it's easy to lose track of time.
Eighteen days flew by in a flash, leaving Fang Yi with a lingering sense of… not quite enough.
And it wasn't just him—Shen Hao and Zhao Wanqiu were also giving it their all in the final sprint.
This era wasn't like the future, where you had all sorts of other paths—content creation, professional gaming, and so on.
Back then, if you wanted to rise above your social class, college entrance exams were the fastest and most direct way.
July 7th. Early morning.
Fang Yi sat at the breakfast table, slurping down the egg noodles Zhuang Shufen had specially made for him.
"You sure you don't want us to come with you?" Fang Yucheng asked, cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Positive! It's just an exam. You'd just be standing outside in the heat anyway—no point in getting heatstroke over it."
After a bit of back-and-forth, Fang Yi finally talked them out of accompanying him to the test center.
"Alright then, but be careful on the road, and don't forget your admission ticket…" Zhuang Shufen kept rambling on, full of motherly concern.
After breakfast, Fang Yi and his usual crew—Zhao Wanqiu and Shen Hao—hopped on their bikes and rode off toward the exam site.
Back then, the college entrance exams still used the nationwide standardized test. It wasn't until 2003 that Jiangsu would switch to its own version.
Once the test paper was handed out, Fang Yi skimmed it quickly and immediately felt a wave of calm.
Perfect—exactly the way he remembered it.
Looks like his little butterfly flaps hadn't stirred up any storms across the Pacific.
Now, the only real dilemma left was…
Jinan University or Donghua University?
Ugh, such a tough choice!