Li Pengfei was just a child.
Yet it was his words that made Qin Siyang fall silent for a long time.
He truly didn't know how to talk to Li Pengfei.
Maybe noticing his awkwardness, Li Pengfei picked up the robot in his hands and took the initiative to introduce it to him.
"Brother Qin, my robot can light up! Look…"
"Really? Let me see."
There was a trace of bitterness mixed in Qin Siyang's smile.
Li Tianming was not wrong, and neither was Li Pengfei.
'All the blame lay on that damned Guo Jiuxiao!'
The two talked for a while longer when a knock came at the door.
Qin Siyang stood up to open it and saw Li Tianming and Chen Fenghe standing outside.
"Reached an agreement?"
Li Tianming nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
Chen Fenghe's face, on the other hand, radiated joy.
"Little Qin, really, thank you so much. If there's anything you need, just tell me."
"There is. Mistress, do you still have that medicine you gave me before, the one that treats injuries? I used it all up during my last fight."
"Oh, yes, I still have some."
Saying that, Chen Fenghe took a lipstick-shaped vial out of her pocket.
"Thank you, Mistress!"
Then Chen Fenghe said, "Little Qin, I gave you over ten pills last time. It hasn't been that long, and you've already finished them all?"
"Ah! Haha, that's because your medicine works so well! It not only heals wounds but can also dispel illusions. You really are amazing…"
"Little Qin," Chen Fenghe interrupted his flattery, speaking earnestly, "don't push yourself too hard. I know you're strong and always thinking ahead, but things aren't always as bad as you imagine."
Qin Siyang put away his smile and nodded, "I understand, Mistress."
"Good. But don't worry, no matter what happens, Old Li and I will always support you."
"Thank you, Mistress."
Li Tianming couldn't stand this mushy exchange any longer and said, "Little Fei, I'm done here. Come with me."
"Okay, Uncle Li."
Li Pengfei jumped off the sofa and went over to Li Tianming.
He looked up at Li Tianming holding Chen Fenghe's hand, then turned his eyes toward her.
"This auntie is so pretty, Uncle Li. Is she your wife?"
Li Tianming froze in embarrassment, even a little nervous, unable to answer.
Chen Fenghe smiled, crouched down, and said, "Hello, Little Fei. I'm Aunt Chen, a friend of your dad's. From now on, Uncle Li and I will take care of you together, okay? Do you like that?"
"That's great!"
Li Pengfei lifted both hands happily, "Uncle Li is such a good person, so Aunt Chen must be too! I'd love that!"
Hearing this, Li Tianming finally relaxed, laughing heartily, "Alright then, let's go home."
"Oh, right, Little Qin, did Little Fei cause you any trouble?"
After Li Tianming asked, Li Pengfei also looked up at Qin Siyang, eyes faintly full of hope.
Qin Siyang smiled slightly, "No, he was really well-behaved. Bring him to play again sometime."
"Will do. Thank you, Little Qin."
"It's what I should do."
The three, Li Tianming, Chen Fenghe, and Li Pengfei, left together.
Their laughter echoed down the corridor for a long time.
Qin Siyang sighed softly, feeling out of place with their cheerful voices.
"I hope the three of you will all be well."
After saying that, Qin Siyang returned to his room and called the front desk.
"Hello, it's me, Qin Siyang. There are still seven rooms on my floor up for rent, right?"
"If any of those seven tenants move out, please keep the room empty for me, don't rent it again."
"Yes, I want to keep them available, just in case."
"Thank you."
———
Several days passed in a blur.
As Qin Siyang idly drifted through his dull routine, the college entrance exams began.
Since the Safe Zone was still run mainly by former Huaguo people, many traditions had naturally carried over.
Even the exam dates and structure followed the old Huaguo system.
June 7th, that sacred day, finally arrived.
Qin Siyang told Wen Shu that his phone would stay on these few days, so she could reach him anytime if there was a problem.
Then, silently in his heart, he wished her good luck, that she'd achieve her dream score.
Ring~ Ring~ Ring~
After checking her admission ticket and belongings, Wen Shu sat quietly in her seat in the examination room.
Two teachers entered, carrying a sealed bag containing the test papers, and walked to the podium.
Wen Shu looked up.
Her expression turned cold as she stared at the two examiners holding the papers.
The two examiners' eyes flickered over her, somewhat evasive and uneasy.
"This time, every student will receive a unique copy of the test. Once you get your paper, please check it first."
Just as the examiners took the papers out of the bag, Wen Shu raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"Teacher, why isn't the bag holding the test papers sealed?"
Both examiners froze on the spot.
Then one of them forced a smile, "It is sealed. Did you see it wrong?"
"If it was sealed, why didn't we see you open the seal?"
All the students' eyes instantly turned toward the test papers.
"Yeah, they didn't open it in front of us!"
"So the test wasn't sealed?"
"Are the questions leaked?"
"Teacher, what's going on here?"
One examiner's eyes darted about nervously, stammering, "It was sealed. Maybe it got damaged during transport, so it opened more easily. But don't worry… it absolutely won't affect the fairness of the exam."
Maybe before, such an explanation from a teacher would've calmed everyone down.
But when their futures were on the line, the students weren't so easy to appease.
Even if none of them were as sharp as Wen Shu, everyone still had that flicker of hope, what if they performed beyond their limits? What if luck favored them, and they got everything right and made it into a good academy?
Immediately, one student shouted, "I demand a new, properly sealed test paper!"
"Yeah, that's right! What if our results get voided because of this?"
"There's only ten minutes left before the exam starts! Teachers, shouldn't you hurry and get a new one?"
Seeing this, the examiners had no choice but to say, "We'll replace the test paper right away."
One examiner took the papers and left the classroom, returning shortly after with a properly sealed bag.
"Alright, we've replaced it with a sealed set. Please take a look."
This time, all the students watched closely, the bag was indeed sealed.
The examiner unsealed it in full view of everyone and distributed the papers.
When the examiner reached Wen Shu's desk, they once again avoided her gaze, a flicker of guilt showing in their eyes.
Ring~ Ring~ Ring~
The test began.
Wen Shu stopped thinking about anything else and focused entirely on answering questions.
During the process, one examiner left the room.
About ten minutes later, they returned.
Wen Shu looked up at the examiner, frowning slightly.
'Seriously? Won't they give it a rest? They're targeting me again?'
'Must be another mess stirred up by Qin Siyang!'
'I can't do anything about it this time. Hmph! Since he's so capable, let him handle it.'
Her pen didn't stop moving, but her lips pouted in irritation.