Chapter 85: You Have No Idea What I’ve Been Through
Over on the other side.
After Dragon Brother and Hu Yu Ying returned to their class, they instantly felt a thousand pairs of eyes locking onto them as if they were celebrities walking the red carpet.
Hu Yu Ying might not get it.
But Dragon Brother was crystal clear—it was a total eye-welcome party.
Maybe it was the first time someone was called out by the homeroom teacher and managed to walk away with a smile on their face, unscathed and feeling like a rock star.
Dragon Brother straightened his back, nodded slightly at his classmates who were all staring, as if to say, “Yep, that’s right. Show me some respect.”
Then he strutted back to his seat, swaggering like he’d just won a marathon.
Hu Yu Ying quickly stole a glance at him, confused about why the big bro was so proud.
She couldn’t figure it out, so she just decided to be proud too—because what’s a little pride between friends, right?
In the fast-paced life of senior year, this little incident was barely a blip on the radar.
Soon, everyone who still had hopes for the college entrance exam dove back into the grind.
Dragon Brother was no exception.
Life seemed to settle into a routine—day after day, like copying and pasting.
Morning: breakfast at Hu Yu Ying’s place, then school together.
During study sessions, they’d solve problems, learn new things, and by evening, it was time to walk Hu Yu Ying back to the alley entrance before heading home for a shower and bed.
In between, Dragon Brother’s scores jumped from 318 to 389 after two mini-tests.
Such progress had the classmates treating him with new eyes—like he was some kind of genius or at least a candidate for the next big thing.
Meanwhile, more attention was shifting toward Hu Yu Ying.
Because even someone like Dragon Brother, who usually didn’t notice much, could see that she was helping him improve.
Soon, students who wanted to study with her weren’t just a handful anymore.
As a result, Dragon Brother’s trips to the restroom became longer and longer—not that he minded much, honestly.
But seeing Hu Yu Ying’s subtle changes still brought a tiny flicker of happiness.
From the initial awkward attempts to join other groups, to now, Hu Yu Ying had become the center of the circle, and everyone else was trying to blend in.
Every time Dragon Brother saw this, he felt a surge of pride.
Like polishing a dull pearl until it shines, he was slowly brushing away her gray edges, revealing her true beauty.
However, along with praise came trouble.
Hu Yu Ying’s blossoming confidence and cheerfulness naturally drew attention.
Her delicate face, soft as dough, gentle to the bone—such beauty was the teenage boy’s ideal dream.
Seriously, who wouldn’t want a smart, well-shaped, pure-looking, tender-hearted girl as a girlfriend?
Watching the boys blush and stammer when talking to her, Dragon Brother couldn’t help but feel like his little cabbage was about to be gobbled up by a pig.
But, of course, he wasn’t ready to say that outright. Instead, he just told Hu Yu Ying—study hard, don’t think about anything else before the exams.
Hu Yu Ying was a stickler for listening. If it was about studying or questions, she’d answer. But if it was nonsense, she’d pretend she didn’t hear or see it.
That made Dragon Brother’s ego swell with pride—see that? That’s my little follower, obeying my every word!
“Dragon Bro, it’s been a while. You must have a good idea of your grades now, right? Which university are you aiming for?”
“I guess maybe in Haiwan, or perhaps a few cities nearby,” Dragon Brother roughly knew his options. “If I don’t get in, I’ll just aim further away.”
Hu Yu Ying nodded softly, “Hmm,” then lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
A little while later, she quietly asked, “Big Bro, have you ever thought about studying in Kyoto?”
Hearing that, Dragon Brother couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “You’re way too high on your big bro’s ball, huh?”
“Well, what about you? I remember your first choice was Kyoto A University. Got confidence?”
Hu Yu Ying didn’t answer immediately but added quietly, “Big Bro, you haven’t even tried yet. How do you know you can’t make it?”
“You gotta believe in yourself.”
That was pretty much the same attitude as Old Man.
He spent so much money, begged around, using every connection to send the main character to study in Kyoto—believed in the city’s promise, hopes she would settle down in a big city.
Even if she flopped, coming back with a Kyoto degree, an internship, and a decent job would be much easier.
Kyoto was a strange city.
Old folks might spend their whole lives never setting foot there, but to them, the word “Kyoto” had an almost sacred gold value that kept climbing.
And the younger generation? They always hold dreams and fantasies about this mysterious city called Kyoto…
“Alright, I’ll work hard then. If I can get in, great. If not, it’s not the end of the world.”
“Mm,” Hu Yu Ying nodded, a flicker of a smile dancing in her eyes.
Soon, she handed over her notebook.
Dragon Brother raised an eyebrow at the questions, “This is my break time! What do you want?”
“Write, big bro! Do more problems,” she said sweetly.
“You’re going too far—my break, and you’re trying to squeeze more out of me?”
Hu Yu Ying took out a lollipop. “Big bro.”
“Cut it out. Don’t think you can sweet-talk me—I won’t fall for it. No way!”
In that span, Dragon Brother learned what it meant to squeeze a sponge—there’s more water inside—it just needs a good squeeze and twist, and surprise—more drops come out!
During another grade test,
Dragon Brother’s score hit 420.
Everyone in Class 7 was stunned.
Especially Wang Shuo. Before Dragon Brother could even show off, Wang Shuo went right over, seriously staring at his total score.
That look was like gazing upon a priceless treasure.
“Dude, how did you do it?”
Dragon Brother looked up. “You wanna learn?”
“Whoa!” Wang Shuo took two steps back in shock at Dragon Brother’s exhausted, hollowed-out appearance.
Dragon Brother waved him over. “Come on, I’ll teach you.”
Wang Shuo shook his head instinctively. “Nah, I’ll pass. Just forget it.”
……
Saturday morning.
This was Dragon Brother’s leisure time—his sacred zone.
Solving problems was dull and draining.
He felt his brain was in a constant state of tension.
Lying on the grass, a gentle breeze, a contented sigh.
But these hours of effort really paid off.
Science subjects had no quick fix—just endless drilling, drilling, and more drilling.
Seeing Hu Yu Ying pull out her little notebook, Dragon Brother’s heart exuded trauma.
He felt someone approaching.
He flipped over, shifted position, knowing exactly who it was, but really couldn’t summon the mood—nor did he want to waste any more of his precious leisure time.
Li Qing Xue squatted down beside him, poking his back with a finger.
“Don’t mess around.”
Li Qing Xue covered her mouth with a light laugh. “So interesting!”
Then she poked him again. “Your grades improved a lot—over 400 now!”
“You have no idea what I’ve been through!”
Li Qing Xue held back her giggle, poking him once more. “Wake up! I brought something good. Take a look…”
