32. Becoming Reality

With only a few days left before the college entrance examination, everyone was racing against time in their studies. In contrast, Lu Yinghuai, who was about to go abroad, seemed particularly at ease amid this intense atmosphere. Seeing Pei Huan sipping water from her cup, he asked, “Have you decided which university you want to apply to?”

Pei Huan had been interested in a university in the neighboring city and planned to list it as her preference. She was about to blurt out her answer when, as if suddenly recalling something, her words changed at the last moment. Instead, she mentioned a university in the north, more than a hundred kilometers away from Ling City.

Lu Yinghuai’s gaze grew cold as he looked at her. “The climate up north is very dry. Do you think you’ll be able to adapt?”

“If I can’t, I’ll just have to. Besides, that’s the school I’ve always wanted to attend,” Pei Huan replied, her expression unwavering.

Lu Yinghuai didn’t say much more. What Pei Huan liked was, for him, the best.

With two days left before the exam, No. 5 High School gave the senior students a short holiday, claiming it was to let them relax and prepare for the final battle. In truth, everyone spent their time patching up weak spots, snatching only brief moments of real relaxation.

Recently, Pei Yan was busy with a school experiment and couldn’t get time off, so Pei Huan had to review at home alone. She sent a casual message to Lu Yinghuai to complain, not expecting him to offer to come help her review. Startled, she almost replied that she was only joking, but after a moment’s thought, she agreed, suggesting they study at his place instead.

The next morning, Pei Huan arrived at Lu Yinghuai’s door with her revision materials. He opened the door and asked, “Here so early?”

“The exam’s the day after tomorrow. Every minute and second counts now,” Pei Huan replied seriously.

Lu Yinghuai stepped aside to let her in. The living room was as dim as last time, the curtains still drawn. Realizing this, he quickly pulled them open, and the sudden sunlight made Pei Huan squint uncomfortably.

“Do you always keep your curtains closed?” Pei Huan asked, settling onto the sofa.

“Yes,” Lu Yinghuai replied, joining her, clearly averse to sunlight.

Pei Huan studied him for a moment before smiling. “You need to spend more time in the sun.”

He looked at her smiling face, lost in thought for a split second before lowering his eyes to hide his awkwardness. “Alright.”

They didn’t talk much more and soon began reviewing. Pei Huan wasn’t completely lost in science, but there were parts where, though she understood the general idea, she was at a loss when it came to actually solving the problems. Lu Yinghuai patiently explained each step, clarifying the logic and formulas until everything became clear.

Time slipped by, and before she knew it, it was noon. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the hour. She grabbed her phone to order food. “Anything you want to eat?”

“I’m not picky. Order whatever you like,” he replied, still looking over the problems she’d just solved.

Pei Huan quickly placed the order. As she did, Lu Yinghuai pointed out a logical error she’d made, working through the correct solution on scratch paper. At first, she listened intently, but before long, she found herself distracted by his elegant handwriting and the beauty of his hands.

Lu Yinghuai noticed her attention drifting and glanced over, catching her staring straight at his hands. He raised an eyebrow. “Do you like what you see?”

“I do,” Pei Huan answered without thinking.

Only after speaking did she realize what she’d said. She looked up, meeting Lu Yinghuai’s composed gaze. She didn’t look away, and the air between them grew subtly charged. Almost unconsciously, her hand moved to touch his. He glanced down at her tentative fingers but didn’t move away.

Naturally, their hands intertwined.

It was their first time being so intimate, and both seemed a little awkward. If one looked closely, one could see a faint flush on each of their ears. Lu Yinghuai’s mind went blank, and he only managed, “You…”

Unwilling to be so direct, Pei Huan turned her head, cheeks flushed. “Just tell me—do you want this or not?”

It took a long moment for Lu Yinghuai to recover. Then a smile broke across his face—happier than any he’d shown before. Staring at their joined hands, he murmured, “I do.”

They exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh together.

After lunch, they studied until evening before Pei Huan said it was time to go home. Lu Yinghuai offered to walk her, and she didn’t refuse.

Evenings in summer were still sweltering, but a breeze now and then made it bearable. Walking side by side, they both seemed unable to quite grasp the reality that they were now together. Pei Huan stole glances at Lu Yinghuai, then quickly looked away, a smile flickering on her lips.

“Are we really together now?” Pei Huan asked, still a little dazed.

“No,” Lu Yinghuai replied, feigning denial.

Pei Huan playfully smacked him, and after a moment’s eye contact, they both burst out laughing again.

Once a certain closeness is established, the atmosphere between two people changes. Pei Huan still chatted away as before, lively as ever, while Lu Yinghuai looked at her with such gentle eyes that the tenderness seemed to spill over.

It was as if the days ahead now held something to look forward to.

The two days passed quickly. On the morning of the college entrance exam, Pei Huan’s whole family accompanied her to the exam site. As they gave her last-minute advice outside, Pei Yan felt time had flown—just yesterday, Pei Huan had seen him off to his own exam, and now the roles were reversed.

“I won’t say much—just keep calm and do your best,” Pei Yan smiled.

“Got it,” Pei Huan replied with a smile.

She exchanged a few more words with her family before preparing to go in. She glanced around as if by chance but didn’t see the person she hoped to see. A little disappointed, she reminded herself that today’s exam was most important, and strode inside, full of confidence.

After three days, the exams were over. As Pei Huan left the site, her family was waiting for her outside. Pei Yan spotted her. “Did it go well?”

“It went really well. Everything that came up, I’d reviewed,” Pei Huan replied with confidence.

“Not bad! Looks like you’ll make it into a top university?” Pei Yan teased.

Instantly embarrassed, Pei Huan said, “Maybe not a top school, but an ordinary first-tier university should be no problem.”

“Have some confidence, will you?” Pei Yan laughed. “You’re my sister—you should at least get into one of the elite schools.”

“I’ll take your blessing,” Pei Huan replied playfully.

After a few words with Pei Dashan and Zhong Su, Pei Huan sensed something, looked in a certain direction, and saw the person she’d been hoping for. In that moment, she forgot everything else and ran straight toward him.

Lu Yinghuai opened his arms and embraced her. After a moment of quiet closeness, he asked, “How did it go?”

“Thanks to Mr. Lu, I outdid myself this time,” Pei Huan said, winking at him.

“Such a smooth talker,” Lu Yinghuai replied with a smile.

They stood together, talking for a long time. Not far away, Pei Yan and their parents watched the pair embrace. Pei Dashan asked in confusion, “That tall one—is he a boy?”

Pei Yan and Zhong Su looked at him as if he were hopelessly slow, leaving him utterly baffled.

“When did Pei Huan start seeing someone?” Zhong Su asked.

“No idea,” Pei Yan replied.

He hadn’t heard a thing before this.

That evening, the family went out for dinner. Pei Huan said goodbye to Lu Yinghuai with reluctance.

As they walked to the restaurant, Pei Yan and Pei Huan lagged behind. Pei Yan, head lowered and teeth clenched, muttered, “When did you start dating Lu Yinghuai? You even kept it from your own brother?”

“I just forgot,” Pei Huan replied sheepishly. “Besides, you’re always so busy—I never get the chance.”

Pei Yan snorted. “You couldn’t even send me a message, could you?”

Pei Huan pretended not to hear, looking around, which made Pei Yan laugh in spite of himself.

On the way home after dinner, Zhong Su glanced in the rearview mirror at the two siblings bickering in the back, then asked, “Pei Huan, you and that boy…”

Pei Huan admitted openly, “We’re together.”

“Really?” Pei Dashan was shocked.

“Really,” Pei Huan nodded.

“How long has it been?” Zhong Su asked.

Pei Huan thought carefully before replying, “Not long—just a few days.”

Pei Yan looked at her expressionlessly. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”

There was still some time before the exam results were released. After the exams, Pei Huan and Lu Yinghuai spent their days exploring Ling City. It wasn’t until Pei Huan posted photos to her social media that their classmates in Class Two realized the two were together. Not only Tang Yue, but many others reached out to ask her about it.

At the time, Pei Huan was waiting in line for milk tea, watching her phone light up with message after message. She looked pitifully at Lu Yinghuai. “What should I do? Now everyone’s asking when we got together.”

“Just tell them openly,” Lu Yinghuai replied, with no intention of hiding.

Pei Huan only replied to a few close friends, then put her phone away to focus on her time with Lu Yinghuai.

Afterward, Class Two held a teacher appreciation banquet. Almost everyone showed up—except Lu Yinghuai, whose absence was expected. When Pei Huan entered the banquet hall, the crowd erupted in good-natured teasing, making even someone as outgoing as her feel a little embarrassed.

Before the teachers arrived, a group of classmates surrounded her, eager to hear about her relationship with Lu Yinghuai. Pei Huan gave them a brief account and said no more, refusing to elaborate no matter how much they pressed.

A short distance away, Yuan Tao and Tao Ranxi watched Pei Huan surrounded by the crowd. Tao Ranxi sniffed, “I bet Pei Huan is completely full of herself now.”

Before Yuan Tao could reply, Ji Qinshu, who had been quietly drinking water nearby, couldn’t help but retort, “You two should stop being so bitter.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Ji Qinshu?” Tao Ranxi snapped. “Don’t think you can get away with everything just because Pei Huan’s got your back.”

“How am I out of line?” Ji Qinshu’s tone was gentle, but her words were firm. “If you’d spent half as much time talking behind people’s backs actually chasing after Lu Yinghuai, you’d have gotten somewhere by now.”

Knowing they had no real argument, Tao Ranxi and Yuan Tao just glared at her and said nothing more.

Dinner passed in a cheerful haze. As one of the more popular people in class, Pei Huan was frequently urged to drink. She only sipped each time, so by the end of the banquet, she was just a little tipsy before everyone moved on to karaoke.

Having heard Pei Huan sing at the previous welcome party, her classmates clamored for an encore. Pei Huan couldn’t refuse and sang a song, after which Li Xuan and the others dragged her off to play cards and games—losers had to drink. For some reason, luck was not on her side that night, and after several rounds, she’d had quite a bit to drink. Realizing she couldn’t keep up, she excused herself, sitting on the sofa to listen as others sang.

The air in the private room seemed stifling, and Pei Huan felt the alcohol go straight to her head, her consciousness growing fuzzy by the minute.

By the time the singing ended, she had already fallen asleep on the sofa. Tang Yue was fretting about how to get her home when Pei Huan’s phone rang. Tang Yue answered, “Hello?”

“Yes,” came Lu Yinghuai’s reply.

Thinking it was Pei Huan’s brother, Tang Yue got straight to the point. “Pei Huan’s drunk at the KTV. If you’re free, could you come pick her up?” She gave him the address.

He acknowledged and hung up. Tang Yue sat next to Pei Huan, patiently feeding her sips of warm water.

Half an hour later, the door opened. Most people hadn’t left yet, and when they saw Lu Yinghuai walk in, they were startled. All eyes followed him as he walked over and knelt in front of Pei Huan—then it all made sense.

He’d come to take her home.

Lu Yinghuai gently tapped Pei Huan. “Pei Huan?”

She stirred, opening her eyes. “Lu Yinghuai?”

He took her hand, tracing his thumb softly over her skin as if to comfort her. “Yes, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, delighted.

“I’m here to take you home,” he answered softly.

The people around them were treated to a scene of pure sweetness—some even secretly took photos and videos.

Feeling the gentle caress, Pei Huan, after a few seconds’ delay, suddenly wrapped her arms around Lu Yinghuai’s neck and, tipsy, murmured, “Then let’s go home.”

Lu Yinghuai kept a faint smile on his face as he lifted Pei Huan up. Nodding politely to the others, he left first.

Tang Yue watched them go, then exchanged glances with the others in the room. “Did you get it?”

“Yep, got it,” came the replies.

The summer night breeze swept over them as Lu Yinghuai held Pei Huan tightly. Though she was drunk and muttering incoherently, Lu Yinghuai responded patiently.

Her head nestled against his neck, her voice slurred. “Lu Yinghuai, I like you so, so much.”

“I like you too,” he replied gently.

There was a moment of quiet. Just as Lu Yinghuai thought she’d fallen asleep, Pei Huan’s fuzzy voice sounded again. “Lu Yinghuai, if I ever do something in the future that makes you unhappy, will you forgive me?”

Looking down at the girl in his arms, he thought she was just drunk and answered, “Of course.”

He brought Pei Huan home safely. When Pei Yan saw her clinging to Lu Yinghuai’s neck, his expression was indescribable.

The next morning, Pei Huan awoke with a throbbing head. She squinted at the class group chat, piecing together from their scattered words the embarrassing things she’d done the night before. The more she read, the heavier her expression became. At last, she opened her chat with Lu Yinghuai, her face blank but inwardly mortified. She sent him a message: Did I offend you last night?

A few seconds later, he replied with a voice message. His clear, pleasant voice came through the speaker, full of gentle mischief.

“What do you think?”