I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Alright, let's go in."

Shen Nianqiu took a few steps and then turned back. This was the first time in the three days of the college entrance examination that she had turned back as she entered the examination hall. She could see Chen Junqian standing in the crowd, carrying a bag and holding a parasol. The sunlight was bright and fell on his shoulder. He didn't say anything more, but just raised his hand to her, as if to say, "I'm right here."

When the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, the classroom was quiet for a moment. As the invigilator collected the exam papers and answer sheets, some students put down their pens and let out a long sigh of relief. Some couldn't help but exchange glances with their classmates, their eyes filled with the relief of finally finishing. Others lowered their heads and slumped over their desks, their shoulders trembling slightly. After the invigilator had collected all the answer sheets, he announced the end of the exam.

Shen Nianqiu sat in her seat, her fingers still resting on the edge of the table.

ended.

These three words slowly surfaced in her mind, making her somewhat incredulous that the countdown board next to the blackboard, the dates circled in red, and the problems she thought she would never finish, had truly come to an end.

She followed the flow of people out of the teaching building in a daze.

The midday wind in June blew in, carrying the heat of midsummer. The area outside the school gate was even more lively than the previous two days. Some people were holding flowers, some were holding up banners, and some parents rushed up to hug their children. The sounds of people, cicadas, cars, and laughter mingled together, like a tide that had been suppressed for too long and was finally bursting forth.

Shen Nianqiu walked through the crowd and spotted Chen Junqian at a glance.

He stood at the place they had agreed to meet, but unlike when he came in the morning, this time he was holding a not-so-exaggerated bouquet of flowers, a few sunflowers, white daisies and pale yellow lisianthus, simply wrapped in kraft paper, with a light blue ribbon tied to the side.

When he saw her, his eyes lit up. Chen Junqian walked towards her, stopped in front of her, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end he just smiled and called her name:

"Shen Nianqiu".

Then, Chen Junqian handed her the bouquet of flowers he was holding, and continued speaking to her in a bright and cheerful tone:

"The college entrance exam is over."

At that moment, the last breath Shen Nianqiu had been holding on to finally dissipated. She didn't accept the flowers first, nor did she say how she did on the exam. The girl simply took a step forward and threw herself into his arms. Chen Junqian was knocked back slightly by her, but quickly caught her firmly. Shen Nianqiu buried her face in his shoulder, smelled the faint scent of laundry detergent and sunshine on him, and tears fell without warning.

It's been a long time.

Chen Junqian gently patted her back, and after she had cried for a while, he whispered words of comfort:

"Nianqiu, you've worked hard."

Shen Nianqiu sniffed, her voice trembling with tears:

"You really came."

"I told you, I'll always be here."

She lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes red. Chen Junqian handed her the flowers, then took a bottle of warm water from his bag, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her.

"Take a sip first, and calm down."

Shen Nianqiu took the water and couldn't help but laugh again:

"The exams are all over, why are you still bothering me?"

"Even after the exam, you still need to ask what I want for lunch."

Shen Nianqiu, holding the flowers, stood in the midday sun of midsummer and thought seriously for a while.

I want to eat you.

"...This won't work."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Like a spoiled child, Shen Nianqiu spoke while actually bringing her face close, seemingly nibbling, biting, sniffing, and rubbing against him, trying to feel his presence. The crowd at the school gate was still surging, many people crying, laughing, and hugging, celebrating the end of a long period of youth. In this atmosphere, their kiss didn't seem particularly noticeable, but it was a matter between the two of them, and it didn't need any audience.

After the rather long kiss ended, Chen Junqian offered his blessings again:

"Of course, I also want to wish my sister a happy birthday."

In fact, Shen Nianqiu's birthday should be June 1st, but birthdays are something that people celebrate any day of the year after they lose contact with their parents. Just like Gu Linguo's birthday has always been celebrated with Chen Junqian on the second day of the twelfth lunar month, Shen Nianqiu finally chose today, June 9th.

"Yeah, now I can finally go get the gift I've been saving for eighteen years, right?"

When this beautiful woman, who is in the prime of her life, said these words, it was as if she had shed all her past identities as a 'student' and 'minor' in an instant, and all that remained in her mind was the phrase she had heard since childhood: 'You will be free after the college entrance examination.'

What are we liberating?

I think it should be about liberating one's true nature.

Yes, that must be it!

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

PS2: There is one more chapter to finish this volume, but because this volume is too long, the statistics for the romantic comedy achievements in this volume will be put on hold for now. We will come back and organize them later when we have time.

Chapter 220: I Love You (End of Volume)

Actually, it's quite a coincidence. Although high school graduation is usually tied to turning eighteen, in reality, not every high school senior can reach adulthood in June. Due to various reasons, Chen Junqian had met many freshmen who were not actually adults after going to university in his previous life. There was even one in his dormitory who needed Chen Junqian's help to turn on a computer at an internet cafe.

However, Shen Nianqiu's timing was perfect. Her eighteenth birthday on her ID card was just a few days before the college entrance examination. After the college entrance examination, her status as a 'high school student' also faded away. Now, standing in front of Chen Junqian was a person of the opposite sex who was fully adult both physically and mentally, and in terms of social morality and law.

When a woman of the opposite sex wants to have a relationship with a man, there is no wall she cannot cross, no fortress she cannot climb over, and no moral concern she cannot abandon. In fact, there is no God who can control her.

Chen Junqian was well aware of this. After all, reality is not a romantic comedy. In anime, various considerations can be taken into account to avoid elements that would have an immeasurable impact on the growth of teenagers. However, in reality, time does not remain within a few years like in a TV series. Moreover, as someone who has been through it, Chen Junqian knows very well that high school is one of the age groups most prone to thinking about such things, and it is easy to act impulsively. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a mysterious news story in the vocational high school bathroom every two years.

Moreover, Chen Junqian himself never thought he was really the wooden male protagonist in a romantic comedy. In fact, he had already crossed the line on this issue repeatedly in the past two years. So what happened today was just an unspoken understanding between him and Shen Nianqiu, a result that had been agreed upon long ago.

I remember Chen Xi once cited the example of Zhang Chunhua in the Book of Jin to try to guess Shen Nianqiu's mentality, and said that the two of them would definitely reach this point. However, Chen Junqian himself did not think so. Compared to his younger sister, who was always scheming in history books and was not old enough to do so, he never felt that his older sister had any idea of ​​'wanting a child as a form of security'.

So rather than trying to find an objective, rational reason based on personal interests, Chen Junqian would rather believe that it was simply a matter of feelings. As a romance novelist, Zhu Wenyun never shied away from writing such plots in her books. After all, she herself knew very well that when feelings reach this stage, it would be strange not to go that step. She could even prove this point herself. However, since she wasn't the first to reach adulthood, she simply did a favor.

Of course, Zhu Wenyun's idea was also very simple. Romance novelists usually choose to use the idiom "once you've tasted the marrow, you'll know the flavor" to describe this state. To put it bluntly, it means that once you've experienced something, you'll want to experience it again. Shen Nianqiu will eventually have to go to university in Shanghai. Even if she has more time than in high school, she can't stay in Guoning every day.

At this point, the only option for the male protagonist, who is likely to have developed a taste for the role, is her. Or rather, only she can seamlessly connect with Shen Nianqiu's experience. After all, humans are creatures who need self-deception and self-comfort. Compared to Lin Mu's physical appearance, at least she doesn't have a strong sense of moral guilt about her appearance. Every time she puts on formal attire to attend filming, no one would think she is a minor unless she said she was a high school student.

However, it was impossible for Chen Junqian to switch into battle mode in the middle of the day after the exam. After all, with the sun so bright, he felt that his sister would probably grumble about him having an affair or being a hen crowing at dawn. Even if a monarch didn't hold court in the morning, he still had to do some serious business in the afternoon.

In short, Chen Junqian first took Shen Nianqiu to a restaurant for dinner. As for why he didn't cook today, firstly, he felt that he should have a big meal to celebrate after the college entrance examination, and secondly, Chen Junqian was very suspicious that if he took her back to the hotel, they would probably end up in bed together in no time. It was summer, and it was really easy to take off one's clothes. Isn't that a coincidence?

Shen Nianqiu hugged the sunflower Chen Junqian had given her, her hand still being held by him, her palms sweating slightly. After crying, she suddenly felt a little dazed. After all, just three days ago she was sitting on a hotel bed, so nervous about her schoolbag and exam admission ticket that she couldn't sleep. Now, three days later, she had walked out of the last exam room, with Chen Junqian beside her, flowers in her arms, and June completely free in front of her.

Chen Junqian seemed to notice her dazed state, so he didn't urge her, but instead slowed down to accompany her.

"Are you still not recovered?"

Shen Nianqiu looked up at him and nodded slightly:

"It feels like a dream. Just ten minutes ago I was working on a math problem, and now it's over."

"It's okay, sister, you'll feel better after a while."

They walked along the street outside the exam center, which was somewhat congested by the crowd. When they passed a flower shop, Shen Nianqiu saw several girls who had just finished their exams taking pictures together. Their faces were filled with bright but unreal smiles, which made her stop unconsciously and look down at the flowers in her hand.

The sunflowers were in full bloom, their golden petals unfurling. Next to them were a few white daisies and pale yellow lisianthus. The bouquet was not extravagant, not stuffed with elaborate decorations. It was simply wrapped in a layer of kraft paper and tied with a light blue ribbon. It was simple, yet it was exactly the kind of gift Chen Junqian would choose. She had received many such gifts from him in his packages during her high school years.

"Speaking of which, when did your younger brother buy it?"

"Are you talking about the flowers? I ordered them yesterday afternoon and will pick them up today. I originally wanted to buy a bigger one, but I was worried it would be too tiring for you to carry them, so I decided against it."

Shen Nianqiu lowered her head and touched the flower petals, a smile spreading across her face:

"I love so much."

"Really?"

"Really, I'll like anything you give me."

Although it was a very corny love confession, Chen Junqian felt a little overwhelmed by Shen Nianqiu's obviously wet eyes, even under the bright sun. As a result, Shen Nianqiu couldn't help but laugh when she saw him like this.

The restaurant that Chen Junqian had booked in advance was just two streets away from the exam site, a ten-minute walk away. It was a Chinese restaurant located on the top floor of an old shopping mall. It didn't look particularly conspicuous from the outside, but it was very quiet inside.

"Chen Junqian, the phone number is..."

Chen Junqian gave his name and phone number, and after the waiter verified them, he led them inside.

The private room wasn't large, but it was very comfortable. A warm yellow chandelier hung over the round table, which was covered with a clean off-white tablecloth. From the window, you could see the street scene of Lin'an, and two blurry figures were reflected in the glass. In the distance, the traffic outside the shopping mall looked like a flowing river of light.

Shen Nianqiu placed the flowers aside and sat down before noticing a small handwritten card on the table. The card contained only a single, simple sentence:

Wishing Shen Nianqiu a successful college entrance examination, all her wishes fulfilled, and a happy graduation!

The handwriting was Chen Junqian's. Shen Nianqiu stared at the line of text for a long time, and then carefully put it away as a keepsake.

As the waiter left, only the two of them remained in the room. Facing Shen Nianqiu's intense gaze, Chen Junqian almost wanted to retort with the line from the "Yingning" chapter of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*: "The young master's eyes are as piercing as a thief's," but in the end, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked with feigned composure:

"Are you hungry, sister? The food should be served soon."

"Hungry, extremely hungry."

Well, he did look like he was starving and about to eat someone. Fortunately, the dishes were served one after another. The dishes were not extravagant, but they were all Shen Nianqiu's favorite flavors.

"No cooking today, isn't that relaxing?"

"Hmm... a little bit."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Let's see what my sister wants to eat tomorrow."

"So I can order food after all?"

"of course can."

Shen Nianqiu thought about it seriously for a while, then shook her head and rejected it:

"Never mind, I'll treat my brother to dinner tomorrow."

"Why aren't you ordering anything?"

"Because I was worried you'd think I was hard to take care of,"

Chen Junqian looked up, as if he found her question strange.

How could that be?

"It feels like I've been making you cook all along."

"I cook because I want to, and I'm happy when my sister enjoys the food. To be honest, my sister is the one who eats the least of my food, since we don't live together."

He paused, then added:

"Besides, you didn't eat for nothing. Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to learn to cook from Wenyun after the college entrance exam? Don't worry, just come and ask me to taste the food. I have plenty of experience in this area."

"It's too much to just say it's a poison test. What if I have a lot of talent?"

"Even the most talented person will make mistakes when they first start cooking. Don't be fooled by how well Wenyun cooks now. When she first started, she couldn't distinguish between different seasonings and her proportions were a mess. But my sister is very skillful and probably does have a talent for cooking. The journal she gave me before must have taken a lot of time to make. But the ones she chose were all collections of chat logs that I really liked."

"Does your younger brother even remember this?"

"My memory is still pretty good."

"It's clearly because you have too much free time."