Lingzhou City!
Happiness Community, Building 3!
Today was the second day after the exam results were announced. Jiang Fan's parents, Jiang Jingguo and Li Guiqin, had taken the day off to stay home with their son. Jiang Fan had scored only 300 on the college entrance exam, and they feared he might do something rash or become depressed.
However, to their surprise, Jiang Fan had woken up early, gone for a run for an hour, then come home to shower and eat, showing no signs of being upset at all. In fact, during breakfast, he even told them a joke, which, though not funny at all, brightened the mood.
At that moment, Jiang Fan was rummaging through boxes and cabinets. Li Guiqin softly asked Jiang Jingguo,
"Dear, what's going on with our son? He only got 300 points on the exam, yet he seems happier than ever. Do you think he's pretending?"
Jiang Jingguo sighed. "In all the years he's been studying, when has he ever smiled like this? Since he got the results, he's been smiling and even telling us jokes."
Li Guiqin thought to herself, "He must be pretending to keep us from worrying. I can't imagine how many tears he's shed in private!" Her heart ached for her son, who had worked so hard for a whole year, only to score 300. She couldn't hold back her tears.
"Guiqin, what are you doing? Don't let our son see you upset; he'll feel worse. Since he doesn't want to make us sad, let's try to be happy and support him."
Li Guiqin wiped away her tears upon hearing Jiang Jingguo's words.
"Dad! Dad!"
Jiang Jingguo quickly responded,
"I'm coming!"
He then turned to Li Guiqin, "Remember, we have to be happy."
Li Guiqin nodded, though her heart felt heavy.
Jiang Jingguo walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he found Jiang Fan waiting with an old video game controller.
"Come on, Dad, let's play a few rounds!"
Jiang Jingguo was taken aback but quickly smiled.
"Are you getting revenge on me for when you were younger?"
"Heh heh..." Jiang Fan grinned.
Jiang Jingguo took the controller and sat down on the cushion. They began playing the classic fighting game, "King of Fighters." As Jiang Jingguo fumbled with the controller, memories flooded back. He recalled that for Jiang Fan's eighth birthday, he had spent half a month's salary to buy him the game console.
Jiang Fan had been thrilled, and for months afterward, every time Jiang Jingguo came home from work, his son would pester him to play a few rounds of games. Jiang Fan was always the top student in his class, so Jiang Jingguo had never restricted him from playing. And Jiang Fan was disciplined; after an hour of gaming, he would put it down and study on his own. This made Jiang Jingguo proud.
"Dad, you've picked your signature character, Iori!"
"Afraid? Ha ha..."
Jiang Jingguo chuckled with pride. When he played as Iori, Jiang Fan could never win.
"Then I'll pick my signature hero, Vice," Jiang Fan said, a mischievous glint in his eye.
The game began.
On the screen, Iori, with his signature red hair covering one eye, appeared effortlessly cool, while Vice, with his loose, dramatic costume, revealed toned muscles that would surely attract attention from many girls if he were real.
The battle started.
Jiang Jingguo controlled Iori and immediately launched a Shadow Dance, Dream Wave attack toward Vice. But Jiang Fan's character dodged it with a jump!
"Hey, not bad, you dodged it!"
"Heh heh... Now it's time for my Deadly Rolling Kick!"
Jiang Fan's Vice jumped close to Iori.
"108 Style—Dark Hook!" Jiang Jingguo countered.
"Unyielding Kick!" Jiang Fan responded.
"108 Style—Phantom Flame!"
"Special Move—Dance of Despair... Fatal Move—Wind Fang!" Jiang Fan shouted, focusing intently.
"212 Style—Moon Eclipse..." Jiang Jingguo was quick to retaliate.
The room echoed with their intense calls, and Li Guiqin couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't seen her son and husband so engrossed in something in a long time. It felt like time had rolled back to when Jiang Fan was younger.
"Forbidden 1201 Style—Eight Devils..." Jiang Jingguo, with a victorious smile, saw Jiang Fan's health bar drop to nearly empty.
With a swift retreat and a roll, Jiang Fan dodged the blow and swiftly counterattacked.
"Super Ultimate Move—Heavenly Dragon Fang!"
"KO!"
Jiang Jingguo's Iori crumpled to the ground. He grumbled,
"Alright, alright, you won this round. I didn't expect you to go all out. Let's go again."
"Ha, your skills have gotten worse!" Jiang Fan teased with a laugh.
"Enough talk, pick your character!" Jiang Jingguo said, slapping Jiang Fan on the back of the head.
"You're on! But no cheating this time!" Jiang Fan said, grinning.
"Am I the kind of person who cheats?" Jiang Jingguo scoffed.
"Then why did you touch my hand when I used my special move earlier?"
"I swear it was an accident!"
"I think it was on purpose!"
The two bantered back and forth, with Li Guiqin laughing from the sidelines.
Their home had never been this lively. Just as they were enjoying the warmth of the moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Mom, someone's knocking!" Jiang Fan called out.
"Okay, you guys keep playing, I'll get the door!"
Li Guiqin stood up and walked to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see the beautiful young woman from last time.
"Hello, Auntie!"
"Ah! Ruoxi, come in!"
Li Guiqin greeted warmly.
Chu Ruoxi was taken aback. She hadn't expected Auntie to remember her name from their last meeting, a month ago.
She followed Li Guiqin into the living room, and the scene before her left her stunned.
This was nothing like she had expected. She had come here today to console Jiang Fan, even memorizing a few inspirational phrases to cheer him up after his low exam score.
But now, she saw Jiang Fan and his father playing video games enthusiastically, with no hint of sadness.
What was going on?
Had Jiang Fan gone mad, or had she misread his exam results?
She looked at Li Guiqin in confusion.
"Uhm... Auntie, is Jiang Fan alright?" Chu Ruoxi asked uncertainly.
"Of course! His gaming skills are amazing now, even better than his dad's!" Li Guiqin replied proudly.
Chu Ruoxi was speechless. She had asked about Jiang Fan's exam results, but Li Guiqin was talking about his gaming skills.
Just then, the screen flashed with the letters "KO" once again.
Frustrated, Jiang Jingguo threw the controller on the floor.
"I'm done! I always lose!"
"Alright, Xiao Fan, stop playing. Look who's here!"
Only then did Jiang Fan notice Chu Ruoxi standing by the door.
At that moment, Chu Ruoxi looked stunning in her white knee-length dress, her long, fair legs catching Jiang Fan's attention.
He froze for a moment, realizing that although they had sat next to each other for over ten days, he had never really noticed her this closely.
Her clear, bright eyes, gently curved brows, flawless skin with a hint of pink, and delicate lips—like rose petals ready to bloom—made Jiang Fan pause in awe.