Jiang Ye wiped away the tears in her eyes, the corners of her eyes tinged with a pitiful redness. She nodded earnestly, “I will definitely pass the exam.”
At this moment, Jiang Chen shot his mother a cold glare and gritted his teeth as he spoke, “This is the second time. For Jiang Ci, you’ve slapped me for the second time.”
His tone carried an unmistakable hint of warning.
Seeing this, Jiang Ye reached out and tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and sweet. “Brother, don’t be mad. Mom didn’t mean anything by it. A girl’s reputation is the most important thing.”
“Even she understands that, and you don’t?”
Jiang Ye: “…”
The argument between mother and son had nothing to do with her. As long as she could leave a good impression on Jiang’s mother, that was all that mattered. After all, there was no lasting grudge between biological children and their parents.
The most pressing matter now was to find Gu Che and coax him into tutoring her.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Jiang Ye glanced at the clock in the living room. There were only ten minutes left before Jiang Chen had to leave for work. “Brother, you should head to work first. I’ll go back and continue studying.”
“Hmm.”
…
After parting ways at the Jiang household, Jiang Ye tried to recall where Gu Che lived. She only remembered it was in some run-down alley on the outskirts.
As she walked and thought, she arrived at the entrance of the Beijing Military District.
At a glance, Jiang Ye spotted Gu Che sitting by the street. The man was about 180 cm tall, with tanned skin and a strong, sturdy build.
If Gu Che were loyal, he wouldn’t be a bad man.
But in his heart, there was a white moonlight—a love he could never attain.
Even twenty years later, he would still seek out young women fresh out of college, just because they bore a slight resemblance to the woman he could never have.
Gu Che also saw Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye took the initiative to approach him. The rich aroma of beef noodles from a nearby stall reached her nose, making her swallow involuntarily. The breakfast at the military compound’s cafeteria only ever included eggs.
Eggs were nutritious, but…
“Are you here to see me?” Gu Che asked.
Initially, he hadn’t planned on coming back to the military district. But even though he was already considered a prospective student of Tsinghua or Peking University, with all tuition and fees covered, his family refused to give him any living expenses.
During the year he dated Jiang Ye, he ate meat three times a day. But after going home, all he had left was thin, tasteless broth. His stomach had grown accustomed to better food—he no longer wanted to live like he had before.
“Yes.” Jiang Ye nodded shyly.
“Then, are you getting back together with me?!”
A flush spread across Jiang Ye’s face, even reaching her earlobes. This era was still somewhat conservative, and quite a few people in the crowd turned to look at them.
“Did we ever actually break up?”
Hearing this, Gu Che chuckled lightly. “Right, we never officially broke up.”
Jiang Ye hadn’t even brought up the topic of asking him to tutor her yet. Smiling sweetly, she invited him, “Why don’t you come over to my place for a bit?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Gu Che looked at her in surprise, a trace of anticipation rising in his heart. He didn’t know much about Jiang Ye’s family situation, but he had met her brother before.
At such a young age, her brother was already a squad leader in the Beijing Military District.
Suddenly, Gu Che remembered the etiquette of visiting someone’s home for the first time. Hesitantly, he asked, “Shouldn’t I bring something as a gift when meeting your parents?”
“My dad is at the military camp, and my mom is on a business trip. I’ve been home alone recently.”
Gu Che slid his hands into his pockets, feeling the money he had on him. He secretly sighed in relief. He had only brought one yuan with him today—if he had to buy a gift, it definitely wouldn’t have been enough.
Jiang Ye asked, “How’s your studying going lately?”
“I’ve already been pre-admitted to Tsinghua University.”
“What?”
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