<h4>Chapter 1: They Romantically Dered Their Rtionship, While I Held a Balloon</h4>


    There was no doubt that the chirping of the cicadas on the tree had increased his anxiety and nervousness before his confession.


    After receiving the eptance letter from Seacoast Normal University, he decided to formally confess to the ss beauty he had secretly admired for three years, Song Xi.


    However, before that, he wanted to ask his ssmate and childhood friend, Ding Ling, for a bit of a favor.? "Ling, I want you to judge whether my confession will work from a girl''s point of view."


    On a summer afternoon, the campus of Riverside First High School was bathed in bright sunlight while the heatwave engulfed everything. The tall ginkgo trees toward the Azure Crest.


    Wearing a blue T-shirt and white sports pants, her feet in a pair of sneakers, her short hair remained the same all year round. Her face was almost always adorned with an expression that seemed to say, "You won''t be able to guess my gender." Ding Ling sinctly stated, "Go ahead, I''m listening."


    He prepared himself for a moment and said affectionately, "Song Xi, there''s something I''ve kept in my heart for three years. I didn''t say it before because I was afraid it would affect your studies. Today, I gather the courage to tell you - I like you!"


    Ding Ling almost burst outughing when she heard this.


    "Can you be serious?"


    "All right, I''ll hold it in. Continue."


    He made a slight adjustment and continued, "Also, let me tell you some good news. I''ve already received the admission notice from Seacoast Normal University. Do you know why I chose this university? Because since our first year of high school, I have known that your dream university is Azure Bay Foreign Language University, and the city you aspire to is Azure Bay. In fact, my dream university is Nankai University, but I gave it up to be in the same city as you..."


    "Wait a moment, didn''t you give up Nankai University because your scores weren''t enough?" Ding Ling nced at him sideways, exposing his words on the spot.


    "Don''t interrupt!" He angrily stopped her.


    "All right..." Ding Ling raised her hands, indicating that she wouldn''t disrupt anymore.


    He paused for a moment and continued to practice his confession lines, "For you, I''ve given up my own dreams because, in my heart, you''ve be a higher priority dream. So, Song Xi, would you like to be my girlfriend? If you''re willing, just nod your head. If not, then recite Encountering Sorrow."


    "I am a descendant of the Gu Emperor Gao Yang, and my deceased father''s courtesy name was Boyong..." Ding Ling started reciting without hesitation.


    "Ding Ling!" he interrupted her again.


    Ding Ling burst intoughter and said, "Qian Quan, don''t you realize that this kind of self-proimed clever confession is ineffective for a fresh graduate who has just finished the college entrance examination?"


    "Our current reservoir of knowledge is at its peak in life. We know about astronomy and geography, can solveplex functions, and speak foreignnguages fluently. Reciting ancient texts is child''s y for us. Why don''t you wait a few years until we''ve been to university to try this approach?"


    Qian Quan sighed, "All right, I''ll just write a love letter then."


    "Don''t do that. Confessing your feelings directly to a girl usually works faster. Maybe it was because you used another girl''s name when you confessed to me, and I couldn''t rte. Now, try confessing using my name, and I''ll see how it feels."


    "I''m standing in front of you, confessing using your name. Don''t you think that scene is a bit strange? It''s like a scene from Happy Together or Brokeback Mountain..."


    Unfortunately, from childhood to now, Qian Quan had never really seen Ding Ling as a girl.


    Although she had fair skin and attractive features, she kept her hair short and liked to drink beer, whistle, and y basketball. Most importantly, she was open-minded and approachable. Even when angry, there was no movement in her chest. She''s a tomboy, not a girlie girl at all.


    From elementary school to high school, Qian Quan helped countless female ssmates deliver love letters to her.


    Especially in the second year of junior high, a female ssmate in the ss copied lecture notes for her for half a semester. When she finally found out Ding Ling was also a girl, she was in a daze for a whole week. It was said that she cried into her pillow that night.


    So confessing to her was indeed a bit difficult for Qian Quan.


    "Haha, that''s true. You should write a love letter. At most, I''ll help you polish it upter." Ding Ling looked at Qian Quan with a half-smile.


    "That works too."


    Qian Quan had a lot of respect for Ding Ling''s literary talent. After all, she won second prize in the national essaypetition, and this year she was admitted to the Chinese department of Fudan University with outstanding grades.


    Furthermore, Qian Quan also knew a little secret about Ding Ling. She had been secretly writing love novels under the name "Forest Gazer" on Wisteria and even made them to the top rankings.


    After learning this secret, Qian Quan didn''t expose her. Instead, he created a pseudonymous ount and joined her readers'' chat group, where he yed the role of a strict, critical, yet loyal reader. He often pointed out ws and errors, encouraged her, and unexpectedly became the group''s administrator.


    Three in the afternoon.


    Students started arriving at the school.


    Today, ss 12-2 students were nning a farewell banquet at a nearby pavilion. They had agreed to meet at the school and then go together.


    This farewell banquet had be a tradition at Riverside First High School. On the one hand, it was an opportunity for everyone to have a meal together and bid farewell. On the other hand, it helped avoid the teachers having to attend each student''s graduation celebration individually.


    Ding Ling reverted to her usual aloofness as others arrived, keeping others at a distance.


    Qian Quan greeted everyone with a smile, and his gaze subtly searched for Song Xi''s figure.


    "One balloon each."


    At that moment, the sports representative, Luo Hu, came over, holding a bunch of balloons, and handed them to people.


    "Do we need to take balloons with us today?" Qian Quan asked with a smile.


    "No, this is for another activity. You''ll find outter. Follow my instructions, and there will be a reward afterward." Luo Hu exined.


    The prospect of the reward made everyone more enthusiastic.


    Soon, each person held a balloon that gently swayed in the breeze. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple – the colors were vivid and vibrant under the sunlight.


    "Now, let''s form two lines." Luo Hu directed.


    Curiously, everyone lined up as instructed.


    Luo Hu took out his phone and sent a message.


    In the next second.


    A brand-new ck BMW slowly entered the school gate and parked smoothly at the front of the line.


    Then, their ssmate Sun Shaokang stepped out of the car.


    "So handsome!" Luo Hu led the cheer.


    Sun Shaokang waved to everyone with an air of elegance and walked to the passenger side, opening the door and extending a hand to a beautiful girl wearing a flowing white dress with long hair.


    Song Xi!


    Qian Quan''s expression changed.


    Soon, he watched Sun Shaokang and Song Xi walk toward them hand in hand.


    "Wow..." the ssmates burst into a gossipymotion.


    Qian Quan felt like he had just been frozen in ce with cold water.


    Quickly, Sun Shaokang and Song Xi reached him.


    They stopped.


    Quite a few students who were privy to Qian Quan''s secret crush on Song Xi lit up with a mischievous glint in their eyes.


    "Qian Quan, why do you look a little unhappy?" Sun Shaokang asked with an amusing tone.


    "Oh, I''m fine." Qian Quan forced a smile, shaking the green balloon in his hand.


    "Good to hear." Sun Shaokang nodded with seeming concern and looked at Song Xi again, "By the way, Song Xi, didn''t you say you had something to return to Qian Quan?"


    "Yes." Song Xi answered and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to Qian Quan. "Qian Quan, this is the note you left in my yearbook. I felt... it wasn''t quite appropriate. So today, I''m returning it to you."


    Qian Quan was stunned.


    Sun Shaokang on the sideughed, "You still remember what you wrote, have you? It was a poem like ''The sun is setting, I am your fishing boat, your anchor.'' Do you still remember?"


    Qian Quan didn''t answer and took the paper.


    "To be honest, that poem of yours has quite the ambiance. You may deceive some naive girls with it when you go to college... Haha, just kidding. But I wanted to tell you that Song Xi having my car is enough. She doesn''t need your boat and anchor, okay?"


    As Sun Shaokang spoke, he friendly patted Qian Quan''s shoulder. "Cheer up. Today''s a good day."


    Boom!


    A balloon burst.


    Everyone was startled.


    Ding Ling, standing next to Qian Quan, said expressionlessly, "Is it necessary to do this?"


    "What?" Sun Shaokang asked.


    Without even looking at him, Ding Ling stepped forward and grabbed Qian Quan''s arm. "Let''s go."


    Qian Quan and Ding Ling left together.


    "Don''t forget to im your reward from meter!" Sun Shaokang shouted after their backs.


    Ding Ling pulled Qian Quan along, exited the school gate, climbed up Azure Crest, and arrived at Tranquil Vale Grotto.


    "Going straight home?" Ding Ling asked.


    "No." Qian Quan looked into the distance.


    Ding Ling fell silent.


    After a while, Ding Ling suddenly muttered to herself,


    "She''s not the leadingdy."


    "Huh?"


    "I mean, Song Xi is not your leadingdy, and she doesn''t have the aura of a leadingdy."


    Qian Quan smiled. He knew why Ding Ling said that - she was a writer, after all.


    "But you still need to bid farewell to this chapter of your feelings properly. Don''t let yourself crumble, don''t abandon yourself. Wave goodbye, and after three to five years, look back."


    "Okay." Qian Quan nodded. "Don''t worry. I, Qian Quan, have boundless ambitions. A girl like this won''t defeat me."


    Ding Ling smiled with relief and then sighed, "That''s how the world works. Some people strive to get to Mystic City, while others are born right there. After all, reincarnation is also a skill. If we want to stand out, we can only rely on ourselves."


    "Yeah, we can only rely on ourselves." Qian Quan agreed.


    [Ding! Trigger conditions sessfully met. The system has detected a suitable host in this universe, initiating matching...]


    A mechanically synthesized voice suddenly resounded in Qian Quan''s mind, leaving him baffled.


    [Matching sessful! ''Bloodline System'' activated, about to bind with the host...]


    Qian Quan, "What the heck?"