I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Oh, right."

Xu Youwei seemed to suddenly remember something, and took Chen Junqian's hand:

"Has Wenyun already gone back?"

He left after the second class.

"Tch, I knew it."

Xu Youwei snorted dismissively.

"So you know so much about her, no wonder Qinqin still went to see her later. I'm going to tell Mumu on this."

"Then I'll have to tell her what we were doing just now?"

"Okay, then pretend I didn't say anything."

As she said this, Xu Youwei took two more steps forward, turned around, put her hands behind her back, and walked backward while looking in Chen Junqian's direction, with traces of cumin powder still on the corners of her mouth.

"Qinqin".

"Ok?"

"I want to eat the cookies you made after evening self-study tomorrow, the kind you made before."

"If you bring it over, it will get cold and won't taste as good as when it's fresh out of the oven."

"Then bring it to me early so I can eat it secretly during evening self-study."

"okay, I get it."

Chen Junqian sighed helplessly, then quickly stepped forward, took her hand again, and pulled her back to his side to prevent his girlfriend from falling while walking backwards.

I'll bring it to you tomorrow.

"Yeah, I knew you were the best, Qinqin!"

The male protagonist of the romantic comedy simply chuckled at this, then turned his attention back to a newly unlocked achievement in his mind:

[Time Management Master]

When the morning exercise of childhood friends, the lunch break meeting of the student council president, the after-school duty of the library committee member, and the evening tutoring needs of the transfer girl all squeeze into the schedule, you will dance in the gaps of the 24 hours of the day, using time management accurate to the second to maintain four parallel heartbeat routes at the same time.

As an essential skill for any male protagonist in a romantic comedy, excellent time management can always help you escape from various potential chaotic situations. Of course, if handled poorly, it can also become the fuse for a new round of chaotic situations.

[Conditions for achieving this: Within a limited and short timeframe, simultaneously advance your relationships and complete events with at least three heroines who are suited for romantic comedies.]

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

Chapter Six: You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too (Two-in-One)

Theoretically speaking, the second half of 2014 should be a good year for the students who have just entered the third year of junior high school. After all, the Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on September 8th, which is the second Monday after the start of school. So after the first week of school, there will be a three-day holiday including the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Of course, it would be even better if there wasn't a mock exam to assess the situation right after the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

As if deliberately letting the ninth graders know what a hellish year ahead they would be facing with small tests every three days and big tests every five days, the school didn't even give any advance notice before the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Instead, they launched a surprise attack, seemingly intending to get the students, who had already experienced summer vacation and the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, back to their studies.

However, exams are always a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. Although for a considerable number of students, the results of this exam were utterly dismal, for Lin Mu, who had been studying diligently throughout the summer vacation, this exam result was just like the one after the winter vacation at the beginning of the year—it was bound to be a good one.

With this in mind, after the class ranking list was printed and posted by the homeroom teacher, Lin Mu couldn't wait to go and see her ranking. However, because of her height, she was a little slow, and the front was already crowded with people, so she was forced to stand in the aisle.

The newly released ranking list was posted in the most conspicuous position on the back wall like a divine oracle. The air was filled with the smell of sweat and the fermentation of various emotions. Some of the students who rushed over cheered, some wailed, and most stood there silently calculating the distance between themselves and the admission scores of the two regular high schools in Guoning.

Chen Junqian sat by the window and didn't rush to squeeze in like the others.

When the boys around him passed by his desk, they would always pat him on the shoulder with a mixture of envy and awe.

"Brother Qian, you're so steady! You're first in the grade again, leaving the second place by a full thirty points. Is your brain made of carbon-based material?"

Chen Junqian simply smiled politely, twirled the pen in his hand, but his gaze wandered. After noticing that Lin Mu was stuck there, he stood up again and walked towards her.

"Mumu, you should sit down. I'll go check how many people are in the top ranks for you."

Because of his childhood sweetheart's natural height, Chen Junqian was used to giving her special consideration in crowded situations. Upon hearing this, Lin Mu obediently sat back down in her seat. She was quite confident in her performance and was already imagining Chen Junqian praising her.

"Excuse me, could you please let me pass?"

As Chen Junqian strode toward the list, his classmates made way for him. Being a top student was quite useful in school, and he was already quite popular.

To be honest, at this moment, Chen Junqian had lost all interest in his first place, which he had won countless times before, and it no longer stirred any emotion within him.

Without the competitive environment and simply dealing with exam-oriented education, he could be quite relaxed after his rebirth and with the system's support. Compared to Lin Mu, who also knew that he would definitely do well on the exam, what he really cared about was another name, the girl who would snuggle in his arms and act spoiled during summer vacation, and who would bite her pen in frustration when she couldn't solve her problems.

He and Lin Mu were in Class 5, while Xu Youwei was in Class 4, so of course her report card wouldn't be sent here separately. He would only be able to see it when he went to her class later... He would check it during the break between the next classes.

Starting from the top and following his own name, Chen Junqian quickly found Lin Mu's name. After glancing at it, he wrote down Lin Mu's scores, rankings, class rankings, and grade rankings. He then walked out and gave the spot back to Lin Mu.

"How was it? How was it?"

Seeing Lin Mu's expectant and nervous expression, Chen Junqian didn't keep him in suspense any longer and gave him a big smile in return.

"Mumu's biggest improvement was ranking 22nd in her class and 457th in the grade."

There are about 1,200 students in a grade in the junior high school of Guoning Middle School. The top 800 students can get into the general high school. However, if you want to get into the senior high school of Guoning Middle School, you need to be in the top 550. Lin Mu's best result so far was 510th place at the beginning of the year. This time he has improved by 60 places.

If I can achieve this ranking in the high school entrance exam, then I can practically say that I have already entered Ningzhong High School.

"yeah!"

Upon hearing his ranking, Lin Mu couldn't help but raise his hands in celebration, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

"Great! This is the best I've ever done on a test! I can finally go to Ningzhong!"

"Yes, I've always thought Mumu is fine. If she continues to improve at this rate, she might even have a chance to get into the top class or the special admission class at Ningzhong, let alone the regular class."

"...Hmm, that's a bit too ambitious. But we can't say that this ranking is 100% secure. After all, the high school entrance exam isn't just about academic subjects; there's also physical fitness and physics/chemistry experiments. But I'm still happy."

Perhaps because the joy was so overwhelming, besides Chen Junqian, Lin Mu also subconsciously wanted to share it with her other good friend Xu Youwei. So, after glancing at her watch and confirming that there were still five or six minutes before the next class, she grabbed Chen Junqian's arm and ran downstairs towards Class 4.

"Let's go find Weiwei."

Upon hearing the name 'Weiwei', Chen Junqian's previously relaxed brows furrowed slightly.

In fact, he had already been calculating while sitting in his seat. Given Xu Youwei's almost completely neglected study habits during the summer vacation and the first few days of school, coupled with the fact that this exam was a surprise attack specifically designed for students like her who had become too indulgent during the holidays, a decline in her performance was inevitable.

Xu Youwei's grades had consistently ranked between 300 and 400 in her grade, sometimes around 300 and sometimes around 400, which was within the stable range for Ningzhong High School's admission cutoff. But this time...

Hopefully, the regression won't be too obvious.

Although Xu Zhiling had already patched things up a long time ago, Chen Junqian would still feel guilty if their early romance really affected Xu Youwei's high school entrance exam results.

Why do transfer students often appear in romantic comedies?

Because everyone knows that for the story to proceed normally, all the main characters must be in the same school or even the same class.

----------------------------------

Xu Youwei checked the number in the column with her name on the ranking list once again.

Without a doubt, no matter how many times you do this, the content above will not change.

She no longer cared about her class ranking; all her attention was focused on the last number representing her grade ranking, which she then silently recited:

Six hundred and eighty-seven people.

Her worst grades since entering high school were displayed there.

But thinking about it, it's actually normal, since her mind wasn't on studying or books at all during the entire summer vacation and the first few days after school started.

Early romantic relationships can negatively impact studies.

This is something that parents and teachers have been saying for a long time, but after experiencing it firsthand, Xu Youwei had no choice but to bitterly admit that there was indeed a reason for it.

After all, a person's time and energy are always limited. The tension of constantly worrying about being discovered, mixed with the sweetness of the leaping progress in their intimate relationship, made her completely lose her way this summer. Learning is a process of going against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. Although this statement does not apply to Chen Junqian, who is still ranked first in the grade, there is only one Chen Junqian in the entire Guoning.

"Vivi!"

A clear and cheerful call interrupted Xu Youwei's thoughts. She stiffened and subconsciously tried to adjust her expression, but before she could even wipe the bitterness from her lips, Lin Mu's innocent and harmless smiling face was already right in front of her.

"How did the exam go? I got 457th place!"

"Hmm...that's good, much better than what I did on the test."

Lin Mu's happiness was visible and pure, his bright, deer-like eyes filled with joy and satisfaction, without any malicious mockery. But this purity was precisely the sharpest thorn at that moment, making Xu Youwei feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Huh? No way? What did Weiwei get? Let me see, around 600th?"

If anyone else had said those words, Xu Youwei would have left without a word, her face cold. But facing Lin Mu, who had grown up with her since childhood and who considered her her best friend, the girl felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in her throat. She unconsciously looked away and gazed at Chen Junqian, who had come with Lin Mu but hadn't said a word and was just standing there quietly looking at the ranking list.

At that moment, she belatedly realized a fact:

If this mock exam score were the same as the high school entrance exam score, she wouldn't even be able to attend the same high school as the other person. On the contrary, Lin Mu, who had been hovering outside the admission score line of Ningzhong High School, was able to do so.

For couples in this age group, sometimes not being deskmates, not being in the same class, or not walking home from school on the same route can be considered the end of a long-distance relationship, let alone not being in the same school. After all, high school requires three years of perfect attendance for evening self-study sessions, and there are also make-up classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Just thinking about it makes you realize how much you will miss each other if you go to different schools.

What rank did Mumu get?

Although he felt like he had already said the number, Lin Mu still honestly repeated it when Xu Youwei asked.

Four hundred and fifty-seven people.

The number pierced Xu Youwei's ears like a needle.

From elementary school to now, this should be the first time that Lin Mu has surpassed her in grades. The silly best friend who used to always follow her around with her homework and shout "Weiwei, teach me!" has now left her more than 200 places behind. Xu Youwei felt a mix of emotions.

It wasn't so much jealousy as a sense of shame, because she knew very well that the other person's progress was the result of her burning the midnight oil, while her own regression was the result of spending the entire summer vacation with Chen Junqian in various secret corners.

"Mu Mu is amazing, and so is Qin Qin. They're in first place again this time."

Xu Youwei turned her head away, her signature haughty demeanor rising, trying to use a hard shell to cover her crumbling self-esteem, and began to breathe like a cat with its fur standing on end:

"Class is about to start, aren't you going back to class? You keep looking at my report card."

"I didn't know you did badly on your test, Weiwei... How about I treat you to some candy?"

Lin Mu was equally adept at handling Xu Youwei's sudden vulnerability. He took two candies that Chen Junqian had bought that morning from his pocket and stuffed them into her hand, making her pout slightly aggrieved.

“Didn’t we agree to go to Ningzhong together? Besides, you just had an off day this time. With a little effort, you can definitely come back. Unlike me, I barely managed to squeeze in, and that was only because everyone else didn’t study much.”

Lin Mu's words were simple and sincere, but they only made Xu Youwei feel even worse.

Going to Ningzhong together, the promise he and she made to wait for Mu Mu, has now become a boomerang flying back to her. However, Xu Youwei cannot tell Lin Mu that she did not perform poorly, but for other reasons... and she does not even know if she will continue to decline.

"The preparation bell has rung, let's go back."

Xu Youwei mumbled, but her voice was clearly weak. She lowered her head, looking at her toes, and felt her eyes stinging.

"It's alright, I just checked."