After the bruises were massaged out, Lin Heyuan’s injuries healed quickly.

  Ever since he modeled the headband st time, Jiang Xiao’s headbands had been selling really well. Later, not only on the basketball court of No. 3 Middle School but also at other schools, many boys started wearing them.

  But no matter the comparison, Jiang Xiao still looked the best in them.

  That was something Lin Heyuan could swear to with a clear conscience.

  Later, Jiang Xiao didn’t have time to py basketball anymore. With the high school entrance exams approaching, he devoted himself entirely to studying. But he still remembered he had put on a little weight, so every morning, he dutifully did fifty push-ups.

  Two weeks ter, Lin Heyuan measured with his hands and felt that Jiang Xiao’s waist had indeed slimmed down a bit.

  Jiang Xiao didn’t seem to notice. When Lin Heyuan wrapped his arms around his waist and was asked if he (JX) had lost weight, he was delighted to receive a “yes,” not overthinking it at all.

  Lin Heyuan: “……”

  Jiang Xiao could be quite sharp—he had all sorts of clever business tricks. But now, he seemed a little… slow?

  Current Jiang Xiao: “The most important thing in my heart right now is studying.”

  Getting into No. 1 High School was not difficult for him, but Lin Heyuan had helped him so much and had even made a promise in front of his mother. Jiang Xiao was determined to get a good score to prove himself.

  To study, he almost completely neglected his small vending cabinet. The restocking and inventory checks were done far less frequently. He only dropped by occasionally to take a look.

  Zhang Yang’s little shop had started specializing in selling MP3 pyers. Now that he had more money, he even hired a helper and was pnning to rent the adjacent store to expand. The two spaces used to be one rge room until the ndlord split them for easier renting. Now it was being restored to its original state to grow the business.

  He excitedly told Jiang Xiao how well the MP3s were selling. Jiang Xiao remembered it and would offer reminders from time to time, but it didn’t interfere with his studies.

  The high school entrance exam format in Houlin County was still a bit complex. A month before the written tests, there was a physical exam—short sprints and long jumps worth 30 points. Simple physics and chemistry experiments were tested outside of the main paper, each worth 10 points.

  These were generally easy to ace, but even after living a second life, Jiang Xiao still felt nervous.

  A month before the exam, his vending cabinet started selling graduation autograph books really well. These were essentials—he didn’t even have to promote them. Despite being more expensive than regur notebooks, they sold easily.

  Graduation season in 9th grade—everyone needed a copy. Jiang Xiao had bought a bunch in Houlin earlier, so all he had to do now was stock the shelves.

  The autograph books had detachable pages. Jiang Xiao even helped fill out many of them for others. He thought he was too grown-up for such things now, but in the end, he still couldn’t resist and filled out one for himself. When he collected them all, he had a whole thick book full of messages.

  After completing nine years of compulsory education, everyone’s life would head in different directions.

  Some would move on to further studies, some would pack their bags and start working. Just having the chance to be cssmates, to have once studied happily and worry-free, was already a beautiful memory.

  While others were growing up, Jiang Xiao felt like he was growing younger.1I felt weirdly emotional while reading this.

  That st month flew by, and the high school entrance exam finally arrived.

  Lin Heyuan, Jiang Xiao, and Ye Yingying were assigned to different exam rooms but all within the same building. Before the exam, Lin Heyuan didn’t forget to encourage him.

  “It’s fine. Just do your best.”

  Being a top student for so long, Lin Heyuan was calm—unless something unexpected happened, he would naturally take first pce.

  “Mm!”

  Jiang Xiao nodded and spped Ye Yingying on the shoulder. “Do well!”

  “Don’t worry, Brother Xiao. I think I can get 500 points!”

  Out of a total score of 810, 500 was a big leap for Ye Yingying. For an art student like him, that was more than enough to get into the special talents css at No. 1 High School—especially since he used to score just two or three hundred.

  The exams came one after another. The final one was a combined history and politics test. Jiang Xiao finished early, checked his answers, and gnced at his watch—10 minutes left.

  Early submissions weren’t allowed. Jiang Xiao twirled his pen and felt a sense of relief. He looked up—the ceiling fan slowly spinning above him.

  It brought a bit of breeze, but it was still a hot day. His bangs were slightly damp with sweat. Outside, cicadas chirped intermittently. His seat was by the window, where a gust of wind rustled the leaves of a rge banyan tree. It was lush and green. The sunlight was briefly blocked by a cloud, casting shade, then brightened again as the cloud drifted away.

  It was such an ordinary, uneventful afternoon, but Jiang Xiao felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

  The exam bell rang. Jiang Xiao stood up, let the teacher collect his paper, then walked out with his stationery.

  Their css had been a bit slow to collect papers. When Jiang Xiao came out, Lin Heyuan was already waiting downstairs—under that big banyan tree, wearing a crisp white shirt, looking right at him.

  “Jiang Xiao.”

  Out of all the people coming down the stairs, Lin Heyuan saw only him, and called his name.

  Years ter, Lin Heyuan would still remember that moment clearly.

  The boy he liked ran down the steps of the school building, through a sea of people, and toward him. It was a bright sunny day. Jiang Xiao ran so fast he lost his bance and stumbled right into him—Lin Heyuan caught him and held him tightly.

  It was one of the best moments of his youth. It felt like almost all of his happiness back then had something to do with Jiang Xiao. Even with the passing of time, the feeling never faded.

  “I’m done with the exam!”

  Jiang Xiao felt he’d done really well.

  He wrapped his arms around Lin Heyuan’s shoulders in a cheerful hug, then let go and asked, “Where’s Ye Yingying?”

  “Still upstairs.”

  The two of them waited. Ye Yingying had also done well, though not as gleeful as Jiang Xiao. He grinned for a bit, then his face fell.

  As an art student, Ye Yingying didn’t really have a break. Others could enjoy their summer, but he had to start art csses again the very next day.

  Still, for a bunch of 9th graders who just finished their entrance exams, there had to be some celebration.

  That night, they didn’t have evening self-study. The students rearranged their desks into a square with an open space in the center—a mini stage.

  They decorated the cssroom with colorful streamers and paper flowers. There was even a basic event program: people sang, danced, performed military boxing routines, pyed games. Snacks lined the desks. Any expenses came from pooled css funds. The school didn’t interfere—some teachers even joined in.

  Jiang Xiao had helped rent the karaoke equipment for the evening. It was easy for him to ask Zhang Yang. Csses 15 and 1, along with a few other css reps, knew him and got a good discount together.

  The setup was simple, but the students’ joy was undiminished.

  Jiang Xiao pyed “pass the flower” in Css 15 and was ter dragged to Css 1 by Lin Heyuan for a game of musical chairs. He sang along to “Descendants of the Dragon,” which happened to be the css song for both 15 and 1.

  Even the usually stiff-faced Director Li joined in and sang along under the cheerful atmosphere.

  There were skits during the party—some hirious. At one point, Jiang Xiao ughed so hard he leaned on Lin Heyuan’s shoulder.

  The next day brought more activities. Students arranged for a photographer to take pictures: formal css photos, individual shots, silly group ones with friends hugging.

  Back then, photos had to be printed. But Lin Heyuan and Ye Yingying’s families were well-off—they had their own cameras, so they didn’t have to squeeze in time like everyone else.

  They took a bunch by the flower bed. When developing the film, Lin Heyuan found one picture he liked best.

  It wasn’t technically a good photo—their faces weren’t fully visible. Ye Yingying pressed the shutter at the wrong time. Jiang Xiao’s hair was messy from the wind, and Lin Heyuan reached out to fix it. His hand rested on Jiang Xiao’s forehead. Jiang Xiao shrank slightly from the ticklish feeling and smiled. Lin Heyuan, head slightly tilted, looked at him with a soft, gentle expression. That exact moment was captured.

  Even though it was a still photo, whenever Lin Heyuan looked at it, he could remember the scene vividly.

  He printed a copy for Jiang Xiao, who stored it carefully in his family’s old photo album.

  But after the happy graduation celebration, it was back to business for Jiang Xiao. Not long after, he made another trip to Liujiang.

  The st batch of MP3s he supplied to Zhang Yang had sold really well. Discounting for profit-sharing had paid off. Other vendors, seeing the profits, were happy to help promote them.

  MP3s were perfect for the times—favorable tech, right market, rising interest. Since 2003, the Chinese music scene had exploded with talent and cssic songs. Many artists stayed popur for over a decade, and their songs became legendary. In such a climate, a device like the MP3, easy for listening on the go, was bound to be a hit.

  With students on summer break and no winter-style market in Chunshi, Jiang Xiao focused mainly on electronics during this trip. Besides the hot-selling MP3s and earphones, he brought some phones—models not avaible in Houlin. Phones back then could only make calls and send texts—not even Snake was avaible.

  But Zhang Yang’s business had grown. Some bosses specifically requested those models. Jiang Xiao helped bring them over, earning a decent commission.

  After this round, Jiang Xiao had over 50,000 yuan in his account, almost 60,000. Making money made him happy. Even though there was no holiday, he still wanted to buy gifts for his family and friends.

  Mom needed a new dress. Lin Heyuan had probably finished the physics book he got earlier. Ye Yingying wanted new paint…

  Buy it all!

  Jiang Xiao lugged a big bag of gifts home. After returning to Liujiang, sure enough, it was Lin Heyuan who delivered his report card.

  The county-level exam scores came out fairly quickly. With only a few thousand candidates, it took about 20 days for results and rankings to be released. Jiang Xiao scored 743, ranking 3rd in No. 3 Middle School and 9th in the county.

  After catching up in just one year, from zero to full coverage, Jiang Xiao earned every point. Xia Wanwan was very pleased—she filled the freezer with popsicles as a reward.

  And the good news didn’t stop there.

  His deskmate, Lin Heyuan, got first pce—not just first in the entire county, but with exceptionally impressive scores. Out of a total of 810 points, he scored 802. Except for a few subjective questions that were almost impossible to get full marks on, he didn't miss a single point on the objective questions. He scored full marks in multiple subjects, and his exam papers were neat and fwless.

  “Lin Heyuan, you’re amazing!” Jiang Xiao patted him on the shoulder, more excited than hearing his own results. “Looks like we’ll be desk mates again!”

  High school life seemed like something to look forward to.