Chapter 7: The Heartless Bond

Time flew by, and before the manuscript deadline, the final exams arrived.

December passed with an unusual calm.

Because Brother Fang from society had leveled up to Father Fang, the campus atmosphere became unprecedentedly harmonious. He leisurely immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge for over a month, then dropped a bombshell in the final exams.

“Damn! You actually made it into the top five?!”

Tao Dang held up his report card, trembling all over.

Bao Fu looked utterly desperate: “I’m dead, dead. When I get home, my dad’s definitely going to beat me to death… Last semester I was 51st, you were 52nd. Now I’m 55th and you’re fifth? I’m definitely doomed…”

“Only fifth? That’s still a long way off,” Fang Xinghe calmly took back his report card, then suddenly raised his hand to block the face of Fang Yuting, who was rushing over.

“Stop right there, your dad’s giving me a glare.”

Fang Yuting glanced back with a carefree smile, “Don’t be afraid, he’s glaring at me!”

“Then don’t come over either; I don’t want Lu Tingting to misunderstand.”

But Lu Tingting immediately came closer, “I don’t mind, Yuting swore I could be her big ‘ummm’…”

The quirky Lu was silenced by the stern Fang Yuting, and the two of them huddled together again.

Then, in a very childish manner, they poked each other, whispered something into each other’s ears, occasionally stealing glances at Fang Xinghe, and giggling softly.

Fang Xinghe could read a little lip language and realized that Lu Tingting, usually quiet and reserved, was saying, “Did you notice? He seems even more handsome now~~~”

No need to seem — he definitely was.

After more than a month of growth, his height had increased slightly and his looks surged dramatically. He was practically touching the threshold of a male idol.

Fang Dadan secretly glanced at Fang Xinghe again, then boldly retorted, “If you’re so smitten, then hurry up and make your move! I’m already lining up impatiently!”

Good heavens, who says girls these days are conservative?

The person saying that probably had never been handsome before…

Nearby, Duoyu, who had no interest in girls, looked at Fang Xinghe with envy: “Bro, you’re already fifth and still not satisfied? I had to bust my ass to get 28th.”

During this month and a bit, the Thirteen Eagles had also started studying seriously.

But not everyone could focus.

Lu Tingting, with her solid foundation and quiet demeanor, sat obediently beside Fang Xinghe, attending class and doing exercises, making the most progress.

Yu Duoduo’s score, originally around 30th place, wasn’t the worst, and making it into the second tier was considered a success.

Bao Fu and Tao Dang were truly hopeless—one too lazy to study, the other incapable of learning.

The rest fluctuated; some improved, some regressed, clearly splitting into different groups.

In truth, middle school knowledge wasn’t that difficult, but once study habits were formed, changing them was a huge hassle.

Judging by the current situation, probably only Lu Tingting, Xiao Jieba, Da Diao, and Bao Fu had a chance at key schools.

To motivate them and also to snuff out the little flames of adolescence in the young girls, Fang Xinghe took the initiative to share his future plans.

“Fifth place in the class definitely won’t cut it. I’m planning to skip a grade and take this year’s high school entrance exam directly, aiming for the top ten schools or the experimental one.”

“Ah?!”

Everyone was stunned.

The smiles on Lu Tingting and Fang Yuting’s faces froze simultaneously, and when they turned their heads, their expressions were extremely stiff.

Among all, the reactions of the three loyal little brothers were the most interesting.

Bao Fu was momentarily dumbfounded, then completely panicked.

Duoyu’s eyes dimmed, and he hung his head in dejection.

Tao Dang inexplicably became excited: “Damn! Bro, you’re seriously awesome!”

Before others could ask why, the three had already completed their mental adjustment and began to bless Fang Xinghe.

“If you want to do it, go for it. You’ll definitely make it!”

Fang Xinghe felt touched and gently encouraged them, “You all have to work hard too. Once you pass fourteen, you’re half grown. Brothers and sisters last a lifetime, but life’s path you have to walk alone…”

Honestly, this advice had a bit of a fatherly tone, but Fang Xinghe had no choice.

If he didn’t speak reasonably, was he supposed to encourage them to keep slacking?

He knew all too well the consequences of fooling around here.

Enough nonsense, everyone get serious.

The little eagles babbled for a while, unable to uncover the real reason behind Fang Xinghe’s urgency but recognizing his determination.

They did not want to accept it but had no choice but to.

The farewell scene turned quite melancholy, as if everyone had lost their souls one by one.

The reason for skipping a grade was simple: Fang Xinghe needed more explosive moments.

To become a “star-level” young writer, two or three essays were far from enough.

Xiao Si had consecutively won first prizes for two or three years before getting a chance to publish, then quietly developed for a long time until he was sued for plagiarism, which at last earned him some public recognition.

And it was negative publicity.

Fang Xinghe was confident his competition pieces were way better than Xiao Si’s multiple first prizes, but that still wasn’t enough.

In the first and even the earlier competitions, the only social sensation was Han Han, because everyone else was academically strong, but he was extremely one-sided, apparently so bad at school that he was expelled?

Fang Xinghe didn’t know the details, only the gist.

Failing, repeating a grade, rebelliousness, arrogance, sparking a national debate.

For a long time, Han Han was the only top influencer, and Fang Xinghe didn’t dare to guess just how massive his popularity was.

Regardless, it was huge, explosive.

Fang Xinghe hadn’t experienced it firsthand and could only guess, but he had decided to launch a “bundled hype” campaign.

At this point, he had to share the stage with his beloved dear friend, brother, and big bro Han Shao.

Without him, how lonely would I be?

Without me, how lonely would he be?

So Han Han took the delinquent rebel route, while Fang Xinghe would take the reformed prodigal route, calling it South Han and North Fang, their story intertwined to the ends of the earth.

Think about it: both originally troublemakers, then suddenly woke up, reformed, going in opposite directions—what a dramatically charged opposition!

And what a naturally sensational topic!

By then, Fang’s past, his wildness, his looks, and his redemption story would all exponentially increase in value.

On the downside, Han Han would help share the heat.

On the upside, Han Han would serve as a contrast.

A win-win, right?!

Of course, my brother Han also wouldn’t lose out.

Although such comparisons could be irritating, after being linked, when Han Han was hot, Fang Xinghe would be hot too; likewise, when Fang had buzz, Han would have buzz.

The continuity would be strong, far more interesting than the Han-Si duo.

Anyway, I look down on Fang; what am I afraid of?

Ruthless Fang never shied away from doing the right thing. Once the plan was made, he aimed straight for his big bro’s lifelong partnership, getting more and more excited and happy as he thought about it.

Hey, hey~~~

Pocketing the report cards, the four young men walked home together.

Until Duoyu, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly asked, “Bro, what’s your plan for the holidays?”

“Going out, to learn something.”

After casually answering, Fang Xinghe turned to Liu Fu, “Bao Fu, get some cash. I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

Liu Fu’s eyes immediately gleamed, “Need money? Bro, several classes in ninth grade haven’t paid their January contributions yet. How about we pull off a big job?”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

Fang Xinghe slapped the back of Bao Fu’s head, and he immediately became obedient.

He swiftly produced two thousand yuan: “Is this enough? Our little treasury is here. If it’s a few days later, I can get another thousand from home…”

“That’s enough. I don’t think we’ll spend that much.”

“Where are you going, bro?” Tao Dang finally couldn’t help but ask with curiosity.

Fang Xinghe smiled softly, his gaze distant, his tone filled with longing: “To Mount Wudang, to learn martial arts!”