010 The Fateful Admission Notice
“I finally understand why milk tea is so unhealthy…”
On her tenth day of working at the milk tea shop, Han Yixuan let out such a sigh.
However, Wang Heng beside her didn’t respond, merely focusing on the task at hand.
Using an electronic scale, he measured out a full five kilograms of sugar, of two different kinds, for a total of ten kilograms. He poured it into a pot and stirred it with a large ladle. The pot was on an induction cooker, and the sugar water inside was already steaming.
This stirring job, being rather strenuous, was only ever done by the manager himself and Wang Heng.
Han Yixuan watched from the side, continuing her lament. “You have to add so much of this boiled-down sugar to the milk tea. The calorie count is off the charts! I won’t dare to drink milk tea casually anymore. It’s too easy to get fat.”
Wang Heng glanced at her. “You’re not fat.”
“Do you think my figure is okay?” the girl asked in a small voice.
Wang Heng withdrew his gaze, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.
An appropriate compliment is a shortcut to increasing affection. Wang Heng knew this well. But precisely because he knew, he was even more reluctant to say more.
Finished with the stirring, he put down the ladle, slightly adjusted the heat on the induction cooker, and set a timer. In forty minutes, the timer would naturally remind him to turn off the heat.
“Should I go and clean up?” Han Yixuan suddenly asked.
Wang Heng shook his head. “I already cleaned before you got here.”
“You’re so fast and capable!”
“It’s nothing.”
After finishing these preparations, Wang Heng sat down in an empty seat in the shop and opened the book he had brought with him.
When he first started the part-time job a few days ago, he didn’t have the habit of bringing a book. But ever since Han Yixuan became his colleague, he found the free time during work increasingly unbearable. To avoid unnecessary conversation, he had to find something of his own to do. The most suitable choice, of course, would be his phone, but his was a black-and-white keypad model, and playing Snake all day would be a bit strange. So, he simply brought a book.
This second-hand textbook on the C programming language was very cheap and could help him brush up on some knowledge he had half-forgotten. It was an excellent choice.
At the table where Wang Heng sat, there was another empty chair opposite him. Han Yixuan stared at that chair for a long while, hesitating, but finally sat down at another table. After all, being too forward and pushy was still a bit difficult for this thin-skinned girl.
Han Yixuan was using a new smartphone. After the screen lit up, her gaze slid over to the handsome young man not far away.
“The C Programming Language…”
The girl withdrew her gaze, opened her phone’s browser, and searched for it. Ten seconds later, she gave up on the plan to find a common topic through this book.
Just then, her phone received a new text message. She opened it, took a look, and immediately understood that a topic for conversation had arrived.
And so, just as Wang Heng was reviewing C language pointers, he suddenly heard the girl’s voice:
“Did you get the text message?”
He looked up, a little bewildered. “What text message?”
“The one from the school, telling us to go pick up our admission notices. I’ve already received mine. Haven’t you gotten yours yet?”
Hearing her say this, Wang Heng took out his phone to check. Sure enough, he had received it too. He had just set his phone to silent earlier so as not to be disturbed at work and hadn’t noticed.
Han Yixuan asked impatiently, “Which university did you get into?”
“University of Electronic Science and Technology.”
Even though it was a top-tier university in the country, Wang Heng’s tone was exceptionally calm. After all, knowing his score and the university’s admission cutoff in advance, there was no surprise in the result.
However, Han Yixuan was unexpectedly delighted. “The one in Rongdu?”
“Yes.”
Wang Heng looked at the girl in front of him, somewhat baffled. He really didn’t understand what this girl was so excited about.
But the next second, he realized…
“I’m in Rongdu too!” Han Yixuan waved her phone, so excited she was about to jump up and down. “Look, look! Rongdu University of Finance and Economics!”
At this moment, Wang Heng finally understood that he had been too naive.
He had originally thought that as long as he didn’t go to the capital, he could avoid those romantic disasters and escape the terrifying battlefield of love by just picking a random, unfamiliar city. However, under the influence of the worldline’s correction mechanism, it seemed he would always be perfectly arranged. It was even more terrifying than the original battlefield.
At least in the first timeline, he and Han Yixuan weren’t in the same city. And now, he hadn’t even managed to dodge Han Yixuan, so would the other calamities still befall him… He felt it was highly likely they would still land on his head.
Thinking of this, Wang Heng seemed to see a flash of blades before his eyes. It was clearly summer, yet cold sweat was about to break out on his skin.
So, should he just confirm his relationship with Han Yixuan and use that as a reason to reject all the other girls?
The problem was, if he did that, it would be another change to the worldline, and the consequences would be completely unknowable. He still remembered that among those few girls, there was one who fit the description of ‘yandere’ far better than Han Yixuan…
Wang Heng stared at the girl in front of him and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
Being stared at so intently, Han Yixuan was at a loss. She could tell that there was no hint of affection in Wang Heng’s gaze. Instead, it held a trace of… fear?
But soon, Wang Heng’s expression returned to calm.
He said, “What a coincidence.”
Han Yixuan also started to laugh. “Yeah, it’s such a coincidence! My first choice was actually a university in Modu, but it seems my score was just a little short…”
**
During a work break in the restroom, Wang Heng questioned his phone, “The worldline correction should only be able to meddle with things that have already happened, right? Han Yixuan was supposed to go to Modu. Why didn’t she get into her first choice, and ended up with her second? The college entrance exam papers have already been graded. The admission scores shouldn’t change!”
It wasn’t long before the magical message box appeared on his phone: 【Unfortunately, there is actually a lot of leeway in this area. For example, in the Chinese language exam’s reading comprehension and essay sections, a whim of the grading teacher could affect the scores of millions of students. Although the scope of the influence is limited, it is indeed possible. And don’t forget the university application process; the results of others can, in turn, affect Han Yixuan.】
Wang Heng couldn’t refute it. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, “Then what if I agree to date Han Yixuan…”
【You can try. But since Han Yixuan might be influenced by memories from the previous timeline, it’s not impossible for others to be as well. Moreover, maintaining a committed relationship won’t necessarily be any easier. You should understand this point.】
Of course, Wang Heng understood. That first love of his, which had lasted for more than two years, had quickly run into all sorts of problems after the initial sweetness and satisfaction. It was precisely because of those problems that he came to understand that he was better suited to be single than to be in a relationship with a girl.
