Chapter 2

“So, I’d like to invite you to join my research group as an intern.”

I could hardly believe my ears.

“Professor Li, do you mean…I can join now?”

“That’s right. Once the college entrance examination is over, you can come straight to the university. Of course, you’ll be spending your entire summer vacation with us. Are you willing?”

“I am! I’d be more than happy to!” I answered almost immediately.

“Good. Then it’s settled. My assistant will email you the details of the enrollment process. Chen Yue, I’ll be waiting for you at XX University.”

“Thank you, Professor Li! I won’t let you down!”

After hanging up, I clutched my phone and jumped for joy in the room.

I knew that from this moment on, my life had completely broken away from the path it had taken in my previous life and was heading toward a brand-new future, full of hope.

Lin Miaomiao was still struggling through the college entrance examination.

I, meanwhile, had already secured a ticket to a higher academic world.

4

While I was still basking in my excitement, a WeChat payment notification suddenly popped up.

It was from my mother.

I opened it. She had sent me five thousand yuan.

A voice message came in right afterward.

“Yueyue, you’re on your own out there, so take good care of yourself. Buy whatever you want to eat. Don’t try to save money.”

Warmth filled my heart, and I called her back.

“Mom, I just got to the hotel. Everything’s fine.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Mom sounded delighted. “Teacher Wang just told your father and me that Academician Li invited you to join his research group. Your dad and I are so proud of you!”

I smiled. “I’m grateful to you both, too.”

“Silly girl, we’re your parents. What do you have to be grateful for?” Mom continued, “Your father was going to call, but something urgent came up at work. He asked me to tell you not to put too much pressure on yourself. Enjoy your trip, get ready, and make the most of this opportunity.”

“I will, Mom.”

After hanging up, I noticed a new message in the class group chat.

I opened it and found that Lin Miaomiao’s mother had tagged me.

“@Chen Yue, you’ve left school, but you still haven’t paid your share of the dorm’s water and electricity fees!”

I raised an eyebrow.

At the start of each semester, everyone paid one hundred yuan toward the dorm’s water and electricity card. We topped it up again only when the balance ran out.

With just one week left before the college entrance exam, everyone was focused on their final preparations. We wouldn’t be using more electricity or water than usual, so the card balance was sure to be enough.

Another classmate, Zhang Yue, replied to her.

“Auntie, it’s the last week. There should definitely be enough money on the card.”

Lin Miaomiao’s mother shot back at once: “Whether it’s enough isn’t for you to decide. I’m asking Chen Yue if she hasn’t paid. It’s fifty yuan in total. Tell her to transfer it to my Miaomiao.”

No one in the group bothered to respond.

Everyone could see that she was just looking for trouble.

I looked at my phone and laughed.

Fifty yuan.

In my previous life, I had argued with her over this small amount, only to be called stingy and petty.

This time, I couldn’t be bothered to waste my breath.

I went straight into the class’s main group and opened the red-packet feature.

I entered one hundred yuan, then added a note:

“A good-luck wish for Lin Miaomiao’s college entrance exam. Keep the change as a bonus.”

Lin Miaomiao claimed my red packet almost instantly.

Right afterward, she sent me a private message.

Lin Miaomiao: “Chen Yue, what do you mean by this? Are you sending a red packet to humiliate me?”

I didn’t answer.

Lin Miaomiao sent another message: “Just you wait!”

I smiled and couldn’t be bothered with her.

Then I opened the group settings and left the WeChat class group that had been created back in our first year of high school.

Right afterward, I tapped Lin Miaomiao’s profile and removed her as a friend.

I tapped her mother’s profile and blocked her.

Once all that was done, I put my phone on silent and tossed it onto the bed.

Tonight, I was going to get a good night’s sleep.

5

On the first day of the college entrance examination, I slept until I woke up on my own.

Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, casting a bright streak across the floor.

I pulled the curtains open. Beyond them lay the blue sea beneath an even bluer sky.

I had breakfast at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. A sea breeze drifted past, carrying a trace of salt.

The other guests were all relaxing on vacation, and the atmosphere was light and cheerful.

I was sipping orange juice when my phone suddenly began vibrating violently.

It was an unfamiliar number, showing the city where I used to live.

I frowned but answered.

My homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, sounded anxious.

“Chen Yue! Where are you?”

“Good morning, Mr. Wang. I’m on vacation.”

“Forget the vacation! Something serious has happened. Come back right away!” Mr. Wang sounded terribly rushed. “Lin Miaomiao can’t find her exam admission ticket! Her mother is right here beside me, insisting you took it!”