164: I don't tell this to just anyone.

Lin Que stared at the phone screen; the photo had been taken extremely carelessly.

A handful of unsalted lettuce was piled on a white porcelain plate, with three pieces of boiled chicken breast lying beside it.

It looked as dry as a mummy that had been air-dried in the desert for three years; just looking at it made his throat feel parched.

Below the photo was a long string of [Crying] emojis, flooding the entire chat interface.

【Fugitive Beethoven】: Look at this! Is this meant for humans? This is just fodder for rabbits! [Smashing Piano.jpg]

【Fugitive Beethoven】: My Sister Yang simply doesn't treat me like a person. She says I have to strictly control my body fat before the tour to maintain finger flexibility.

I'm so hungry my stomach is sticking to my back, and she still makes me eat this stuff!

The 'Sister Yang' Ye Xi mentioned was the person handling her tour affairs, similar to a manager.

Lin Que looked at those pieces of chicken that resembled dry firewood.

He could imagine the wax-like texture of biting into them.

He leaned against the headboard, typing with one hand.

【Mu Xia】: Doesn't it look quite healthy? Green and pollution-free, very suitable for cultivation.

The other side replied instantly, this time with a twenty-second voice message.

Clicking it, Ye Xi's slightly frantic voice exploded in the quiet room.

In the background, the dull thuds of fingers haphazardly smashing down on piano keys could be heard.

"Cultivation my foot! I want meat! I want carbs!

Right now, when I close my eyes, it's all the taste of that Pidu Noodles shop in Old Gate East... a large bowl of rich broth, lots of chili oil,

add a portion of that golden-brown crispy fried pork skin, then another portion of sausage and kidney slices... mmm."

Lin Que chuckled softly.

This girl was truly starving; she even swallowed her saliva quite loudly while listing the dishes.

【Fugitive Beethoven】: "Wait until you finish your exam tomorrow, I have to take you there no matter what.

That's my secret base, hidden in the deepest part of an alley; you can't even find it on review apps."

【Fugitive Beethoven】: "The location is super remote. If this young lady doesn't lead the way, even GPS would get lost. This is my treasure; I don't tell just anyone."

I don't tell just anyone.

These words sounded familiar.

His finger rubbed the edge of the phone as he replied.

【Mu Xia】: Then I'm in for a treat. So, does that mean I'm not 'just anyone'?

The message was sent.

The small line of text at the top of the chat interface changed instantly.

The line at the top of the screen, 'The other party is typing...'

began to flash frantically.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

A full minute passed, and that line was still flashing, but no message ever came through.

At this moment, inside a room in a high-end villa in Jinling.

A flushed face was reflected on the black lid of the Steinway piano.

Ye Xi sat cross-legged on the piano stool, clutching her phone tightly, her whole body like a boiled shrimp.

She had just blurted out that sentence without thinking,

just to emphasize that it was her 'exclusive collection'.

But with Lin Que's counter-question, the meaning had completely changed.

Not just anyone... then a special person?

What kind of special person?

*Thud—*

A dull sound.

Ye Xi slammed her head onto the piano keys.

Dozens of notes jumbled together, emitting a piercing roar.

"How can this person focus on the wrong point!"

She jerked her head up, staring at the chat box.

Her finger hovered over the screen; she typed a line and deleted it,

typed another, felt it was even more off, and deleted it again.

Explain? The more she explained, the worse it would get.

Don't explain? Then it would be an admission?

Ye Xi bit her lip, her ears burning.

Finally, steeling herself, she tapped the keyboard rapidly,

sending a text that even she found clumsy.

【Fugitive Beethoven】: No!

【Fugitive Beethoven】: I mean... you're from Class 3! Yes, because you're from Class 3!

【Fugitive Beethoven】: Argh, so annoying! Anyway, just remember the address!

【Fugitive Beethoven】: [Kitchen Knife][Kitchen Knife][Kitchen Knife]

After sending this message, Ye Xi slapped her phone face down on the piano.

She sprawled out like a starfish on the long-pile carpet, covering her face with both hands, feeling like she wanted to die.

What a terrible excuse!

Whatever!

In the hotel room, Lin Que couldn't help but laugh out loud as he watched this forced explanation.

This girl was a cold goddess on stage, but in private, she was a shy klutz.

【Mu Xia】: [Understood, thank you for the organization's trust.jpg]

【Mu Xia】: Then I'll save some room and wait. Go to sleep early, don't get so hungry that you start gnawing on the piano.

Lin Que looked at the bright kitchen knives on the screen.

He shook his head with a smile and casually tossed his phone by the pillow.

Outside the window, the Qinhuai River flowed silently, carrying away the powdery air of the Six Dynasties, leaving only the tranquility of the night... Lin Que slept very soundly.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already seven o'clock the next morning.

The air in Jinling carried a moist chill, awakening the bustle of the city.

The team from Jiangcheng No. 1 High School gathered in the hotel lobby on time.

Fei Yuncheng had specially changed into a more formal dark blue jacket today, with the zipper pulled all the way to the top.

He held that roll-edged roster in his hand, his eyes scanning everyone's face like a hawk's.

"Look sharp! Anyone who didn't sleep well last night, pinch yourself now!"

Fei Yuncheng's loud voice echoed in the lobby, drawing glances from a few passing waiters.

"Do you have all your documents? Admission ticket, ID card!"

No one spoke; everyone gripped their transparent document bags tightly.

It felt as if the air was truly thick with the smell of gunpowder.

The bus passed through the morning peak traffic and slowly entered the Hankou Road gate of Jinling University.

As soon as they got off, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

On both sides of the main road that had been empty yesterday,

dozens of blue sunshades had been set up overnight as if by magic.

The tents formed two long lines, stretching all the way to the teaching buildings in the distance.

Banners hung in front of every tent.

【Jinling University School of Liberal Arts】

【Southeast University School of Humanities】

【Sunan University】

There were even some from neighboring provinces.

【Zhejiang University Qiushi College】

...It was packed with all the notable universities in Su Province and surrounding areas.

Several teachers sat behind each tent,

with thick stacks of beautifully printed brochures on the tables.

As soon as they saw a student passing by with a "Fu Zhi Yao Competition" semi-finalist tag around their neck,

these teachers would immediately stand up, their enthusiasm even more intense than a supermarket promotion.

"Hey student! Don't leave! Check out Wuxi University! The postgraduate recommendation rate for our humanities experimental class is in the top five of the province!"

"Learn about Sunan University! If you make it to the finals, we'll sign a first-tier admission agreement immediately! Don't listen to the nonsense next door, our cafeteria has the best food!"

"That handsome guy with glasses! Consider the Media Department at Zhejiang University? I think you're very photogenic!"

...The students of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School had never seen such a spectacle.

Zhang Ya had already been stuffed with three or four colorful booklets.

She was completely dazed, her cheeks flushed, looking somewhat at a loss.

Li Bowen was even worse, pushing up his glasses as he was surrounded by two admissions teachers.

Listening to terms like "postgraduate recommendation rate" and "scholarships," his eyes glazed over.

This was no examination hall.

This was clearly a talent-snatching war being played out in advance.

Fei Yuncheng walked at the very front, adjusting the collar of his dark blue jacket again and again.

Looking at the banners of those prestigious schools, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

He turned around to face the students of No. 1 High School.

"Students, straighten your backs!"

Fei Yuncheng patted the megaphone in his hand, his voice filled with an irrepressible pride.

"Do you know what this is?"

"This is gold panning!"

He pointed at the sunshades: "Those who can stand here and participate in the semi-finals are the gold sifted from tens of thousands of candidates across the province! You are the top 20% elite!"

"These universities are smart! They aren't here for charity; they're here to snatch people! Normally, you'd have to beg and plead to even cross their threshold, but today, they have to beg you to take a look at their brochures!"

Fei Yuncheng got more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere.

"All of you, do me proud! These are just schools from within the province.

Once you make it to the finals, that's when prestigious schools from the entire country will come to snatch you!

That's when you'll truly be spoiled for choice!"

These words were undoubtedly a shot of adrenaline.

The originally somewhat timid students visibly straightened their backs.

"Director Fei."

Shen Qingqiu, who had been walking at the very back, suddenly spoke.

She held a bottle of mineral water, her voice calm, yet it was like a bucket of cold water precisely dousing the newly ignited vanity.

"Don't let this spectacle blind you."

Shen Qingqiu unscrewed the water bottle, her cold gaze sweeping over the students who were treating the brochures like treasures.

"Stop being so happy. This is just a wet market."

"They're smiling at you now because you have an entry ticket in your pocket."

"If you don't pass the exam, these colorful papers will be too slippery to even use for propping up a table leg."

She pointed at the towering teaching building in the distance.

"'Fu Zhi Yao Competition' is indeed a shortcut, but in this world, shortcuts are often the most dangerous single-plank bridges."

"Out of these thousands of people, only a few dozen will eventually get a guaranteed admission spot based on their essay.

The rest, even if you take a pile of brochures back, will still have to honestly go back to doing practice problems and squeeze onto that great bridge of the Gaokao."

Shen Qingqiu looked at the gradually sobering crowd, her tone softening slightly.

"Don't think too much, and don't take yourselves too seriously. Get through today's hurdle first."

"As long as you haven't gotten that final stamp, everything else is empty."

The crowd fell silent.

The lightheaded sense of inflation from just now quickly dissipated,

replaced by a more grounded and heavy sense of urgency.

Lin Que stood in the crowd, looking at Shen Qingqiu's back, a flash of admiration in his eyes.

This was Old Shen.

She could always pull you back when you were drifting away, and push you forward when you were most cowardly.

"Let's go."

...