Chapter 163: My Future Is Not a Dream ①
After the evening self-study session, he returned home to find his tutor, Chen Ke, already waiting in the living room. Because they had rehearsals every afternoon, the tutoring sessions were moved to after the evening self-study session. Of course, since he was making the tutor come home so late every day, they had also discussed raising the tutor fee, and Chen Ke had not refused.
As soon as Li Kai entered the house, Chen Ke stood up. “Yesterday, we finished the first volume of physics for second grade. Are there any parts you still don’t understand?”
Li Kai shook his head. In first grade, there were seven subjects. Physics and chemistry were only added in second grade. However, compared to liberal arts subjects that required rote memorization, he naturally wanted to get the science subjects right first. Just as Nie Qiu had said when she first became his tutor, liberal arts subjects just needed to be remembered, but science subjects required theory, calculation, and practice! Therefore, he had to learn physics, chemistry, mathematics, English, and so on well. If possible, he wanted to get into the same high school as Nie Qiu.
“Alright, I’ve found the final exam papers for your second-grade volume one. Would you like to try doing them?” As he spoke, Chen Ke took out an exam paper from his bag and handed it to Li Kai.
Li Kai nodded, placed his schoolbag on the sofa, took the exam paper handed to him by Chen Ke, and began to work on it. During his tutoring sessions, he listened attentively, and when studying at school, he also studied diligently. Compared to doing third-grade problems, the basic second-grade problems were a bit easier. After he finished, he checked it thoroughly twice before handing it to Chen Ke.
Chen Ke meticulously graded Li Kai’s work. Since they were all questions with answers, he finished looking at the multiple-choice and basic questions in just a few minutes. Then came the application and practical problems. Chen Ke also carefully reviewed Li Kai’s answers and his problem-solving approaches. If there was anything that needed to be said, he explained it to Li Kai one by one.
Li Kai also listened attentively and recognized his own shortcomings in solving problems. After Chen Ke left, Li Kai took a deep breath. In his study, he took out the second-grade volume one physics workbook and opened it, starting to do the exercises. Since Chen Ke had given him ninety-six points on the exam paper just now, he was sure he could finish the workbook too!
Nie Qiu had said that if his accuracy rate on the workbook was above ninety percent, she would agree to kiss him. Outside the window, lights twinkled, and the dark blue sky sparkled with starlight. Li Kai sat in his study, finishing one pen and switching to another. At two in the morning, he had diligently completed the entire workbook, which he had never touched before!
Rubbing his sore eyes, Li Kai put the workbook into his schoolbag. He then put his schoolbag into his room, took a piece of cheese from the kitchen, and after washing up in his room, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep, a piece of cheese still in his mouth.
The next day, as soon as Nie Qiu arrived at the school gate, she saw Huang Yan loitering around the school gate.
As soon as Huang Yan saw Nie Qiu, her eyes lit up. She hurried over, grabbed Nie Qiu’s arm, and linked her arm with Nie Qiu’s. “Good morning, Nie Qiu! Shall we go into school together!”
“What’s wrong with you? Did you wait for me at the gate specifically? Just to go into school together?” Nie Qiu looked at Huang Yan suspiciously. She was usually the last one to arrive at school every day, so Huang Yan should have been in the classroom by now.
“Hehe…” Huang Yan smiled sheepishly, holding Nie Qiu’s arm. “Let’s go into the classroom together! Together!”
Nie Qiu looked suspiciously at Huang Yan, whose behavior was somewhat unusual. The two of them stepped through the school gate together.
“Nie Qiu!”
“Huang Yan!”
The two people who called out looked at each other, then walked towards the person who had called them.
Nie Qiu and Huang Yan froze at the school gate, dumbfounded, watching Zhang Haiyang and Li Kai walk towards them.
Zhang Haiyang held two oiled paper bags and a carton of milk. One oiled paper bag contained sweet potatoes bought outside the school gate, and the other contained two steamed buns. He walked towards Huang Yan, smiled, and handed her the items in his hand. “I see you always go to the small store after morning self-study to buy things to eat. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Here!”
Nie Qiu looked at Zhang Haiyang in surprise, then looked at Huang Yan. Huang Yan felt a little embarrassed when Nie Qiu looked at her. She let go of Nie Qiu’s arm, said hello to Nie Qiu, gave Zhang Haiyang a fierce glare, and ran off, clutching her schoolbag strap.
Zhang Haiyang patted Li Kai’s shoulder, turned, and chased after her.
Li Kai held the second-grade volume one physics workbook in one hand, and in the other, he held the same kind of milk as Zhang Haiyang. He looked at Nie Qiu. “Nie Qiu… I remember you promised that after I finished the first volume of physics, as long as my accuracy rate was above ninety percent, you would let me kiss…”
You would let me kiss…
This sentence sounded strange no matter how you heard it, but… it didn’t seem that strange. What was wrong with a boy wanting to get closer to a girl he liked? But saying it out loud made it sound different.
Nie Qiu was a little surprised. After they didn’t say anything else, she thought this agreement could be ignored! She didn’t expect Li Kai to have kept it in mind. Her voice was a little hoarse, and she couldn’t help but lick her dry lips. “So… have you learned it well?”
Li Kai handed the workbook to Nie Qiu. “I wrote this last night. Take a look.” He looked at Nie Qiu, just like when he was in elementary school and handed in his first assignment, eagerly awaiting the teacher’s praise.
Nie Qiu’s hands trembled at her sides. After hesitating for a long time, she finally reached out and took the workbook handed to her by Li Kai. She opened the workbook with both hands and flipped through it. The white paper and black text became a blur in her eyes. She didn’t clearly see what was written inside, only knowing that only by completing the workbook in one go could it be so neat and tidy.
Closing the workbook, Nie Qiu looked at Li Kai. “Li Kai.”
Li Kai looked at Nie Qiu and nodded.
Nie Qiu walked closer to Li Kai, closed her eyes, a fine sweat breaking out on her forehead, her face turning red, like a first love. She gently stood on her tiptoes and, very, very gently, pressed her lips towards Li Kai’s lips.
The morning breeze blew, so cool, so pleasant. The autumn wind stirred the ginkgo leaves on the ground, one, two, three leaves. The fountain in the fountain pool inside the school gate spouted water. A few leaves swayed in the pool water. The seasonal flowers bloomed, and it felt as if time was both moving forward and standing still.
Li Kai looked at Nie Qiu’s face, so close that he could even see the fine downy hairs on her face. Her skin was smooth and delicate, not perfectly white, but smooth. The places where she had acne had healed into small patches of pink new flesh, like pink peach petals, or like tender cherry blossom petals. So beautiful, so beautiful.
