Chapter 708: Chapter 708: How Love is Forged_1
Although Lan Xiaopei was touched by Lan Dike’s nearly two years of efforts, she believed that Lan Dike’s academic performance would not qualify him to enter the same college as her.
Unexpectedly, Lan Dike excelled beyond expectation during the college entrance examinations, scoring nearly the same as Lan Xiaopei and ultimately succeeding in being admitted to the same university.
On the first night of the semester, Lan Dike found Lan Xiaopei and professed his love to her again.
Lan Xiaopei, anticipating Lan Dike’s move, took out a book she had prepared beforehand and told him, "This is my favorite book. If you can thoroughly understand it and answer ten questions about it, then I’ll accept your proposal."
Lan Dike received the book titled "How is the Steel Made", which was incredibly thick.
Lan Dike energetically responded with a slap on the book’s cover, laughing heartily, "Okay, it’s a deal."
Lan Xiaopei watched him, his cheerful smile lit up something in her eyes.
Full of confidence, Lan Dike started reading the book. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he was too optimistic. "How is the Steel Made" was a world-renowned masterpiece with profound content, difficult to comprehend.
Furthermore, its content, steeply rooted in a different historical context, made reading it a challenging task.
The book was also long. By the time Lan Dike finished reading, he hardly remembered what he’d read before and had to start from the beginning.
Lan Dike, who initially didn’t like reading, persevered through dizzy spells and headaches.
A month later, he approached Lan Xiaopei, eager to attempt answering her questions.
The questions were all about "How is the Steel Made". As Lan Dike listened, he recalled some vague details from the book, but they were fleeting and didn’t leave a profound impression.
After his first attempt at answering, Lan Dike left disappointed.
Despite this setback, Lan Dike was determined to remain diligent. He began to approach the book more critically, seeking advice from the top students in his class. He started reading the book again, word for word, while taking notes along the way.
To motivate himself, he emblazoned his notebook with the following phrase: "This is How Love is Forged."
From then on, Lan Dike would approach Lan Xiaopei roughly every month to answer her questions.
Unfortunately, his multiple attempts all ended in failure, causing him much frustration.
Classmates couldn’t bear to see his struggle and counseled him to give up, assuring him that Lan Xiaopei was not really interested and was just intentionally making things difficult for him.
Lan Dike reflected for a moment before countering with an unwavering determination, "If she was only trying to make things difficult, why didn’t she ask me to pluck stars or the moon? Her requirement is achievable, I just need to work a little harder."
Thus, Lan Dike continued his diligent study, and seeing his intractable dedication, his peers gave up on their requests for him to forfeit his attempts.
On the last day of the year, during a heavy snowfall, Lan Dike found Lan Xiaopei again, eager to answer her questions. This time he was confident in himself.
Unfortunately, Lan Dike only managed to answer nine questions correctly and was stumped by the last one. Despite his best efforts, his memory of the proper answer remained blurry.
It appeared that achieving his goal of winning over Lan Xiaopei’s heart would have to wait yet another day.
With a sigh of resignation, Lan Dike apologized to Lan Xiaopei and turned to leave.
Seeing Lan Dike’s dejected figure, Lan Xiaopei’s heart softened and she suddenly reached out to grab his arm, whispering, "The rules have changed this time. If you’ve answered nine questions correctly, that’s sufficient."
Unresponsive to her words, Lan Dike looked puzzled and asked, "Isn’t it mandatory to answer all ten questions correctly?"
Looking at Lan Dike reproachfully, Lan Xiaopei cast off his grip and curtly stated, "I make the rules, so when I say they’ve changed, they’ve changed."
Registering her words, Lan Dike bounced with joy, his words tumbling over themselves, "So...so are we..."
Lan Xiaopei rolled her eyes at him and looked towards a nearby bookstore before declaring, "If you can gift me a book right now, I’ll say yes."
Before she could even finish her sentence, Lan Dike vanished from sight.
Turning towards the bookstore, Lan Xiaopei saw Lan Dike rush in, a chuckle escaping her lips.
Not long after, Lan Dike returned, a book in hand, which he gave to Lan Xiaopei, announcing, "Here, this is our token of affection."
Looking at the book titled "How is the Steel Made", Lan Xiaopei was surprised, "Why did you buy this one?"
Without hesitation, Lan Dike responded, "Isn’t this your favorite book?"
Lan Xiaopei couldn’t help but laugh, "But I already have a copy."
Scratching his head sheepishly, Lan Dike grinned, "No worries, no worries, the more, the merrier."
A gentle expression graced Lan Xiaopei’s face.
As the snow fell heavily, Lan Xiaopei gently brushed off the snowflakes that had landed on Lan Dike’s hair.
Despite the frosty weather, Lan Dike stood still, an exhilarated smile on his face, believing that he was the luckiest person in the world.
Since then, and for the rest of their lives, Lan Dike cherished Lan Xiaopei as if she were a priceless gem. He compensated for his past negligence by protecting and cherishing her.
At eight o’clock on the morning of July 13th, Ye You was awakened by the annoying sound of the alarm clock. Qin Sisi had already gotten up and was searching for clothes in the wardrobe.
Ye You groggily asked, "Sisi, are you going out?"
Turning her head, Qin Sisi replied softly, "Yes, I forgot to tell you yesterday. Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. I’m going back to my hometown to pay respects to her and to say goodbye to her and my father."
The day after tomorrow, she would be leaving with Ye You. She didn’t know when she would be able to return.
"I’ll go with you." Upon hearing Qin Sisi, Ye You promptly assured.
Qin Sisi shook her head and sat by the bed. Looking at Ye You seriously, she said, "Xiao Hei, you don’t have to go. What you need to do now is to rest well."
Ye You also shook his head, resolutely stating, "I’m fine. I should accompany you."
Qin Sisi held Ye You’s paw, convincingly saying, "Xiao Hei, think about the Demon Sacred Realm. It’ll be dangerous there, and I know I’ll be weak. So, you must recover from your injuries as soon as possible to protect us both."
However... Qin Sisi was indeed speaking the truth. Ye You’s gaze flickered slightly, clearly moved by Qin Sisi’s words. But he still had reservations about Qin Sisi traveling alone.
Qin Sisi comforted him, "Don’t worry, I’ll leave now, pay my respects, and return immediately. I should be back before noon. It’s only for half a day, so there’s no need for concern."
