Chapter 335

Chapter 335: The Results Announcement and the Journey to Shennongjia

Due to Mei Fang’s help in gathering materials for Bing Bing’s application to join the high-level sports team, Bing Bing’s parents urged her to take Mei Fang to Shennongjia for a trip, to entertain and thank him for his assistance.

Bing Bing scheduled a trip to Shennongjia with Mei Fang after the results announcement, as they still needed to visit Jiangcheng to discuss their college applications.

During the two weeks of waiting for the results, apart from handling company affairs, Mei Fang spent his time accompanying Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi, touring every place in Jiangcheng that he hadn’t visited before.

Although Jiangcheng was a genuine large county, it truly wasn’t exaggerating when it came to its size, especially with over a million college students driving consumption. The entertainment industry was thriving.

The three of them went to Tan Hua Lin’s Retro Postcard Shop, watched splendid fireworks by the riverbank, strolled through Han Street shopping, and feasted on crayfish and barbecues at night.

When they were tired from playing outside, they would stay home the next day, buy groceries, cook together, play games, or simply sleep, or sometimes play with Xiao Mei Fang.

During this period, Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi began paying more attention to their makeup and started purchasing cosmetics they rarely used, such as mascara, eyebrow pencils, eyeshadow, and dark lipstick.

Originally, both had naturally beautiful faces, but now they could experiment with various styles, from salty to sweet, pure to seductive. Mei Fang enjoyed discovering new aspects of their personalities daily.

He also enjoyed shopping for clothes with them, always looking forward to these activities, like playing a dressing-up game. However, he occasionally expressed subtle resistance when Lin You Xi invited him to try on clothes in the changing room.

After roaming freely in Jiangcheng for some time, the results announcement finally arrived—

On June 20th, the same day as the high school entrance exam, Mei Lijun was at home taking care of the flowers and plants. His neighbor, Old Liu, hurriedly knocked on his door.

“Hey, Old Mei! The college entrance exam results are out. How did your child do? I remember he attended Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.”

Mei Fang rarely returned home, and since he was only known among the younger generation, his elders knew nothing about him.

“Ah… Yes.”

Mei Lijun scratched his head, “Is it the results announcement today?”

“Oh, look at you, how can you be so unconcerned about your son’s important exam?”

“He doesn’t need me to worry about him.”

Mei Lijun’s tone was somewhat aggrieved. Old Liu patted his shoulder and laughed, “Come on, you can’t just leave everything to your wife. As a father, you should spend more time with your child.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll go check.”

Old Liu was surprised, “Isn’t your child at home right now?”

Mei Lijun nodded, “He’s out playing with friends.”

After finishing his conversation with the neighbor, Mei Lijun put down the watering can and pruning shears, washed his hands, and went inside to find his wife.

“Hey, Xia Xia, Xia Xia? Today is the results announcement day. Have you checked the scores?”

“Hush!”

Xiang Xiaxia glared at her husband angrily, causing him to stand straight. Then, she continued speaking softly into the phone:

“Don’t worry, You Xi. I was just talking to Uncle Mei. Should I tell him the good news? Ah… no need, I’ll let him know later. When are you coming back?”

“We…”

Lin You Xi was sitting in Mei Fang’s lap, looking up at Xia Yuan who was playing Mario Kart Wii with Xia Yuan. “Afang, when are we going back?”

“By the end of the month… We’ll finish our applications, visit Shennongjia, then come back.”

Mario Kart Wii was quite popular at the time, and Mei Fang bought the steering wheel component to play. Driving in the game required body movements, and Lin You Xi enjoyed being held by Mei Fang while they played. She relayed Mei Fang’s words to Xiang Xiaxia:

“What? You’re going to Shennongjia? There are wild men there, why go play?”

“A good friend invited us as guests. I thought we could travel together. Mom, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Afang.”

“Wait, call me mom… isn’t Yuan Yuan here?”

Xiang Xiaxia seemed surprised, “Be careful, You Xi.”

“It’s fine, Mom. Yuan Yuan and I are close enough that we won’t fight over something like this.”

At this moment, Xia Yuan had abandoned her lead in the race and was staring in shock at Lin You Xi, who was driving with Mei Fang in his lap.

“Yuan Yuan, what are you doing? I’m going to pass you!”

Mei Fang was still excitedly drifting past Xia Yuan, who then put down the controller and walked heavily towards Lin You Xi. Lin You Xi calmly continued talking to Xiang Xiaxia:

“Mom, Yuan Yuan wants to say something, I’ll give her the phone!”

Xia Yuan originally planned to question Lin You Xi about when she started running off, but Lin You Xi unexpectedly handed her the phone. Upon hearing Xiang Xiaxia’s voice, Xia Yuan immediately became sweet: “Hello, Auntie Xiang—yes, I have something to say. Yes…”

Xiang Xiaxia could hear Xia Yuan’s hesitation and continued, “You Xi, are you angry?”

“No, no… I’m not angry. You Xi is dating Afang now, and she calling you mom is her freedom. It’s just…”

Xia Yuan’s voice sounded hurt, “I feel a little regretful. I called you aunt all the time while dating Afang… Actually, I…”

“If you don’t mind, you can call me mom too.”

Xiang Xiaxia gently said, “We’ve known each other for so long, and I’ve always treated you and You Xi like my own daughters. Regardless of whether you end up with our Afang, you’re still my daughter…”

“I don’t need to be your daughter… But if I can call you ‘Mom Xiang’, that would be great, right?”

Xia Yuan spoke with utmost sincerity and a hint of pleading, like a weak and hurt girl. Xiang Xiaxia, who was always soft-hearted, immediately began consoling her:

“Of course, you can call me whatever you want… Don’t be polite with me.”

“Great! Mom Xiang!”

“Oh, my dear Yuan Yuan!”

Xia Yuan jumped up with the phone to talk with Xiang Xiaxia, while Mei Fang put down the steering wheel and tapped Lin You Xi’s head.

“You’re really a little troublemaker…”

“What troublemaker? I’m helping Yuan Yuan win over your mom.”

Lin You Xi turned around, straddled Mei Fang, and pinched his cheeks, scolding him, “You and Yuan Yuan never seize opportunities to strengthen your relationship with our parents. When will we be able to openly declare our relationship?”

“I’ve been working hard… I even called Uncle Xia, Teacher Yu, and your parents to report our scores. They’ll feel more secure knowing our results, right?”

“But you never call them mom or dad. You don’t even sweeten your words.”

“I did call you and Yuan Yuan mom… Practice makes perfect!”

Mei Fang hugged Lin You Xi tightly, while Xia Yuan, having just hung up the phone, rushed over to share the joy of having another mother. Seeing them sneaking away, she shouted loudly and chased after them.

Lin You Xi’s score was excellent, with 664 points, ranking first in her class and fourteenth in the year. Even with her NOIP一等奖 score, she could still enter the top two. Mei Fang scored 591 points, which was a typical score for a bottom-tier 985 university, but he didn’t care much about his grades anymore.

Xia Yuan only needed to score above the first tier, though her exact score was embarrassing since she was second-to-last in her class.

In any case, all three of them had scores sufficient to enter Pengcheng University. Their classmates showed a variety of reactions.

Zhang Ming’s performance in high school was average, but after meeting Mei Fang, he studied diligently and eventually scored 603 points, which was just enough for Pengcheng University.

However, Yue Xinyi did not perform well on her exams. After seeing her scores, she realized she had failed and ended up with a score similar to Xia Yuan’s, though she couldn’t get into Pengcheng University, she could still attend other universities in the city.

Liu Xiaoyu performed excellently, ranking among the top in the liberal arts class and third in Xia Yuan’s class, making her eligible for Pengcheng University.

Guo Yun successfully got into Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, where she would continue her studies.

Bing Bing, who was applying through the high-level sports team channel, had no academic pressure. She only needed to score at the undergraduate level to apply to prestigious 985 universities, but she was not part of Mei Fang’s company, so it wasn’t necessary for her to attend Pengcheng University. Her friends were helping her analyze more promising schools.

“I think Jiangcheng University is pretty good. It’s close to home, and I’m familiar with the area.”

“Why stay in the local area when you can go somewhere else? Jiangcheng’s development isn’t great. Go to a northern university or Shanghai, where there are many competitions, and Bing Bing’s talents can shine.”

“Hmm…”

Bing Bing frowned and looked at Mei Fang, who was engrossed in the list of universities for their applications.

“Since everyone is going to Pengcheng University, can’t I go with Afang? That sounds pretty good…”

“Pengcheng University… You can make it one of your choices, but the sports scene there isn’t very developed. The future planning might not be ideal.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Basketball is just a hobby for me. Why not work at Afang’s company?”

Bing Bing earnestly told Mei Fang, “I heard that most bosses nowadays are heartless and exploit their employees endlessly. But I know you won’t mistreat me. Instead of encountering a bad boss later, why not let Afang be my boss?”

“Well… I can arrange some tasks for you… but I prefer to be friends with you. Being in an upper-lower relationship might change things. Do you understand?”

Currently, Mei Fang hadn’t encountered such issues, but after graduation, many people, both known and unknown, approached him for internships. Mei Fang mentioned that his company was relocating to Pengcheng, so plans weren’t finalized yet.

Bing Bing thought about Mei Fang’s words, “Are you worried I’ll brag about our relationship? I’m not that kind of person. I’ll be honest and avoid conflicts with colleagues.”

“It’s not about that…”

Mei Fang originally thought Bing Bing’s physique was suitable for a security captain, but she was careless and not meticulous. Assigning her such a role seemed wasteful. C Station would have a public canteen after the move, and hiring Bing Bing might bankrupt their company.

“I think going to Pengcheng is great. I’d love to be with Bing Bing.”

Xia Yuan smiled and said, “Go ahead and apply for Pengcheng University. If you get in, we can play together during weekdays. Didn’t you mention wanting to learn music? I can teach you!”

“Yuan Yuan, why are you still counting on Bing Bing to drum for you…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll apply for Pengcheng University!”

Under everyone’s encouragement, Bing Bing filled out Pengcheng University as her first choice, concluding the process of filling out applications.

This day was almost certain to be their last at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School. Everyone took photos and group photos, with Mei Fang and Xia Yuan being the most popular.

They were very approachable, unlike Lin You Xi, who kept a cool distance. In the end, Lin You Xi also took pictures with her close friends, such as Liu Xiaoyu and Bing Bing.

Finally, the three of them took a group photo, with Bing Bing holding the camera and arranging for them to take pictures at the school gate. After a simple pose, Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi wrapped their arms around Mei Fang.

This scene sparked envy among nearby students:

“What does it mean to be a life winner? This is what it means.”

“I don’t even have a boyfriend… why can he have two?”

“Xia Yuan was clearly his ex-girlfriend, yet they remain so close… This must be the magic of being childhood friends for years. Love it, love it.”

Bing Bing took many commemorative photos of the three of them. Mei Fang glanced at Bing Bing’s finished photos and was pleasantly surprised to find them excellent.

“Hmph, this is my two years of photography club experience, honed under Brother Chaoxiong’s relentless guidance.”

“Oh, speaking of which, where’s Wan Chaoxiong?”

Mei Fang looked around, “I saw him earlier, he brought Bawang along today.”

Bing Bing nodded, “Chaoxiong said he wanted to shoot a video of Bawang. Today is Bawang’s farewell to the lovers of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.”

“Being popular must be exhausting…”

As Mei Fang was grumbling, he noticed Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi smiling at him.

“Alright, alright! Since the main thing is done, shouldn’t we go see Shennongjia together?”

Bing Bing cheerfully pulled Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi, “Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll definitely treat you well during these days!”