A pampered young lady from a wealthy family is reborn, choosing a rich wife over a rich man.

Meng Zhixue's suggestion was like a spark falling into a haystack.

Gu Huai went into a state of high energy, taking repeated deep breaths before he could barely return to normal.

But he was indeed serious.

It's back to normal.

From that night on, Gu Huai's study habits changed completely.

I get up at 5:30 every morning to memorize classical Chinese texts. During the day at school, I hardly leave my seat except to go to the toilet. I do practice problems until my hands ache during evening self-study.

The four tutors took turns giving feedback to Mrs. Gu, saying that before, the tutors pushed him forward, but now he is pulling the tutors forward.

Upon hearing this good news, Mrs. Gu beamed with joy. She not only gave each of the tutors a generous red envelope but also rewarded Meng Zhixue.

I gave her a new cell phone, a high-end laptop, and a tablet – she was treated like royalty.

Seeing Gu Huai's hard work, Meng Zhixue felt both happy and a little amused.

What is this?

Is this the most primal driving force?

The kind of person who would risk their life for a kiss...

Two weeks later, the monthly exam arrived as scheduled.

During the two days of the exam, Gu Huai was in a state of "battle-ready" spirit.

It didn't feel like going to an exam; it felt like heading to a battlefield.

The night the results came out, Gu Huai was overjoyed.

After finishing his tutoring session for the day, he took out the report card, slapped it on the desk in front of Meng Zhixue, raised his chin slightly, and looked at her with a smug expression that said, "You decide what to do."

Although his actions were arrogant and overbearing, his bright red earlobes had already betrayed his nervousness completely.

Meng Zhixue curiously picked up his score sheet and looked at it, her almond-shaped eyes widening in surprise.

The class improved by 10 places, and the total score increased by 55 points?

Not bad, not bad.

It was double the target they had agreed upon.

She put down her report card and turned to look at Gu Huai.

The boy sat at his desk, arms crossed over the back of his chair, jaw clenched, trying to maintain a cool and aloof expression, but the corners of his mouth were already radiating an irrepressible smile.

A pair of bright black eyes stared at her, like a large dog that had brought back its prey to show off its victory.

"That much more?" Meng Zhixue asked.

Gu Huai feigned composure and gave a soft "Mmm," then couldn't help but add, "I told you I wouldn't let you down."

Meng Zhixue smiled, pursing her lips, and extended her hand to him: "Give me your hand."

Gu Huai was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he quickly reached out his hand, his large, well-defined hand covering her palm.

The boy's palms were burning hot, with calluses from writing for long periods of time, and his fingertips were slightly curled as he carefully held Meng Zhixue's fingers.

A warm sensation spread from her palms, and Meng Zhixue looked down at their clasped hands, her heartstrings fluttering slightly.

His fingers were longer than hers, with dark blue veins lurking on the pale back of his hands, long and powerful, truly beautiful.

She gently squeezed his hand back.

Gu Huai's breathing visibly paused for a beat.

"Alright." Meng Zhixue quickly released her grip, saying coldly and indifferently, "The rewards have been distributed. Continue your studies."

Gu Huai: "...???!!!"

That's it?

That's it?!

His hand froze in mid-air. Looking at his empty palm, and then at Meng Zhixue who had already opened her math workbook, he felt completely helpless.

He didn't say anything, but lowered his head and opened the physics exam paper, but his pen remained motionless on the paper for a long time.

Meng Zhixue glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and noticed that although he was holding a pen, the expression on his face was a mixture of satisfaction and melancholy...

If I had to give a ratio, it would be that I was satisfied for ten seconds, but felt regretful for most of the day.

She didn't say anything, suppressed a laugh and continued doing her problems, pretending not to see his disappointment.

But as she finished her studies for the day and was about to leave the study, Gu Huai suddenly spoke up, sounding both frustrated and somewhat resentful: "Meng Zhixue!"

"Hmm?" Meng Zhixue blinked and looked at him questioningly.

Gu Huai looked aggrieved, like a big wolfhound that hadn't gotten its favorite bone, and earnestly reminded him, "I improved by 10 places this time, raising my score by 55 points, which is more than double the goal you mentioned."

Meng Zhixue nodded and asked, "And then?"

Gu Huai looked down at him. The warm yellow wall lamp in the study shone on him, making the young man's facial features stand out clearly.

He retorted, feeling wronged, "What do you think?"

Meng Zhixue looked at him and almost laughed.

She saw right through him and stopped teasing him, asking directly, "Do you feel like you were taken advantage of this time for exceeding your mission expectations?"

Gu Huai looked at her, his ear tips turning red again, and nodded awkwardly: "...Yes."

After all, it becomes increasingly difficult to improve grades as you go higher.

He exceeded the target this time, but did not receive the extra reward.

What if he fails to complete the task even once?

Meng Zhixue thought for a moment and said, "How about this, if you exceed the task requirements this time, I'll give you an extra reward, okay?"

Gu Huai's eyes lit up instantly, like a wolfhound's ears perking up: "What reward?"

Meng Zhixue tiptoed and gently touched his lips.

The moment their lips touched, the soft, warm touch was like a feather brushing past, so fast that it was almost impossible to react.

Gu Huai froze on the spot, his pupils slightly contracted, as if someone had pressed the pause button on the young man's brain, and all his senses were focused on the lingering warmth on his lips.

But it was too short-lived; it was gone in an instant.

Even when I try to reminisce, there's a sense of helplessness, a feeling that there's no way to do so.

Meng Zhixue looked at him with a smile: "Handsome, is this okay?"

Gu Huai: "...?"

He felt a little dizzy and couldn't react for a moment.

After a long while, he finally raised his hand, touched his lips in disbelief, and looked at him with regret, thinking, "I didn't even have time to experience it, how could it be over already?"

Meng Zhixue found it amusing and leaned close to his ear, whispering, "The next reward is a hug, but if you still exceed expectations..."

She paused, her warm breath brushing against the boy's ear, her voice low and sweet: "I'll reward you with a French kiss, so you can really experience it, okay?"

Gu Huai's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his entire body, from his neck to his forehead, turned bright red.

Not wanting to lose face, he turned around and took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions.

After a long while, he turned back, his dark eyes fixed intently on Meng Zhixue, and in a hoarse voice made a promise to her: "Okay."

Meng Zhixue reminded everyone: "The goal for next time is also to improve by 5 places in the class and raise the total score by 20 points!"

Gu Huai took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination: "No problem."

Meng Zhixue smiled and waved to him, "Alright, you go back and read for a while. I'm going to report my findings to Mrs. Gu now."

Gu Huai's face turned even redder.

He actually knew that the reason Meng Zhixue gave him the "reward" was because of his own mother's "guidance".

But he didn't mind at all; in fact, he liked it a lot, so he didn't want to take advantage of the situation and then complain that his mother was wrong.

However, he also gave Meng Zhixue a gift.