That evening, everyone found out that Shi Jin was going to take the college entrance exam.

Seeing Shi Jin looking nervous, Number Two, with the attitude of someone who had been through it before, comforted him, "It's just a small exam, don't be afraid. Two days, four subjects, it'll be over in no time. It's very easy."

Shi Jin looked at him expressionlessly and asked, "Have you taken it before?"

"I have," Number Two replied, pointing to Number Nine who was sitting next to him typing on his computer. He explained, "Except for Number Nine, who went to study abroad, all of us who grew up with Young Master Jun took the college entrance exam in China and got our degrees here."

Shi Jin immediately perked up and asked, "You've all taken it? You were all students? Then if you get into university, how will you follow the rules and attend four years of classes?"

The last question was the most important one!

"How can you take the exam without being a student? Xiao Jin Jin, there's something you should know. The titles Number One and Number Two are just code names in our organization. Everyone, including myself, has their own real name and identity. Our academic records and degrees are all tied to our true names.

In the future, when we all leave this line of work, we will go back to being our true selves," Number Two explained, putting his arm around his shoulder and patting it.

"So it's important to do well on the exams. It's crucial for your future. Young Master Jun wants you to take the exams because he cares about you. And based on the current situation in the underworld, after you get into university, you'll probably end up doing the same things we did. You'll attend classes at the organization's teacher's place when you have free time, and take exams at the end of the semester. You won't have to go to school every day, and you'll have a lot of freedom. It won't interfere with your time with Young Master Jun."

"However, it's best if you don't fail your exams. If you do, Young Master Jun will force you to take a month off and retake the classes," Number Nine added, glancing at Number Two.

Number Two's heart skipped a beat as he threatened Number Nine with a raised fist.

That won't stop him from keeping Young Master Jun company.

Shi Jin's attention was focused on this conversation, and his resistance towards exams dissipated in an instant. A glimmer of hope lit up in his eyes - he didn't need to leave Young Master Jun's side every day to attend classes, he just needed to enroll in school.

In that case, he could take the college entrance exam without any worries. It didn't matter.

His eyebrows lifted up again, and he casually asked Number Two, "I didn't expect you to have taken the college entrance exam. What was your score?"

As soon as Number Two saw that Shi Jin was no longer wearing a worried expression, he smiled too and replied, "Think I just passed the 600 mark... I took the national exam that year and let me tell you, my luck was terrible. The math section was especially difficult and it gave me a headache."

Just passed... 600?

Just passed????

Shi Jin's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked at Number Two, unable to believe that Number Two was once a top student. He silently shook his hand and turned to Number Nine.

Number Nine thought that Shi Jin was asking about everyone's exam experiences to learn from them and improve his own performance. When he saw Shi Jin looking at him, he immediately replied honestly, "I didn't take the high school entrance exam in China. There's no mandatory government-run exam system overseas, only two types of private exams. I took both and got scores of..."

"Okay, okay, I understand, I understand," Shi Jin quickly interrupted, remembering his friend's doctoral degree and his own mediocre grades. He steadied his resolve and stood up, saying, "I'm going to prepare for the exam now, you guys carry on."

Without looking back, he floated away.

Afterwards, Shi Jin slyly asked about the high school entrance exam scores of the other members of the group and the results were heart-wrenching. None of the capable helpers under Lian Jun were mediocre students! Even the worst performer in the group, Number Five, had been accepted into a top university!

"We're all just trying to make it in society, why is there such a big difference..." Shi Jin slumped on the couch, feeling hopeless as he looked at his recent test scores. "If I had known I was going to take the exam, I would have studied harder these past few months..."

Xiao Si said, "But Jin Jin, you were so serious about it. You only studied for a few months and still got such a good score. You're already amazing."

"No, you don't understand," Shi Jin said, his heart heavy with experience, holding his tablet and wanting to cry but having no tears.

Some things really don't hurt until there is a comparison. He, a mediocre student, had to take the exam in front of a group of top students, and in the future, he might have to check his grades in front of them and apply to schools... What's the difference between this and public execution? Is he shameless?

Although he has a big heart, he also has his pride!

In order to avoid being publicly executed too harshly, Shi Jin began to work hard with great seriousness.

That night, he held onto his tablet and studied until midnight. If it weren't for Lian Jun pulling him onto the bed, he probably would have stayed up all night.

The next day, he still clung onto his tablet and even had Xiao Si help him sift through a set of easier-to-remember knowledge points, which he memorized all day long. After dinner, he picked up his tablet again and buried himself in practice questions, not even thinking about putting down his pen until bedtime.

Lian Jun couldn't bear to watch anymore and stepped forward to take away his tablet, forcing him onto the bed.

"Just rest well today. It's just a small exam, don't worry. Even if you don't do well, it's okay," Lian Jun comforted him in a gentle voice, feeling a bit regretful for telling Shi Jin about the exam in advance.

If he had known that Shi Jin would be so nervous, he would have just dragged him to the exam room on the day of the test, so that Shi Jin wouldn't have to go through this pre-exam agony.

Shi Jin couldn't fall asleep. Seeing the worried look on Lian Jun's face, he couldn't bear to persist any longer and nodded his head, obediently closing his eyes... and then let Xiao Si retrieve the review materials for him in his mind.

Xiao Si: "..."

Shi Jin couldn't remember what time he fell asleep while reviewing. All he knew was that he kept dreaming about taking exams, one after another, as if there was no end to it. When he woke up, he felt dizzy and uncomfortable, as if he had been through countless exams.

Shi Jin was barely hanging on, frowning and rubbing his forehead. "It's over. With my current state, I'm afraid I'm going to fail the exam."

Xiao Si had full confidence in him and said, "You'll do great on the exam, I believe in you!"

Shi Jin felt warm inside and was deeply moved. "Xiao Si, you're such a great system."

Xiao Si was shy and replied, "No, it's because you're a great teacher."

After chatting with Xiao Si for a bit, Shi Jin felt a little better. He washed up and had breakfast with Lian Jun at the restaurant before taking the exam bag that Lian Jun handed him and leaving the club together.

"Xiao Jin."

Just as he stepped out of the door, a familiar voice sounded not far in front of him.

Shi Jin stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing in confusion as he looked towards the source of the voice.

In the dark of night outside the gate, next to a black and low-key business car, stood Shi Weichong, dressed in a white shirt and exuding an air of elite boss. When he saw Shi Jin approaching, he immediately took a few steps forward and said, "I heard from Second Brother that you returned to B City, and was even injured. I happened to have some free time today, so I came to see how you're doing with your injuries."

"..." Why did you have to come today of all days? B City is really a troublesome place!

Shi Jin hid his exam bag behind him and politely smiled, replying, "My injuries have already healed. Thank you for your concern."

Lian Jun noticed Shi Jin's action of hiding the exam bag and gestured with his finger to the armrest of the wheelchair, indicating for Number Two to drive the car out without interrupting the conversation between Shi Jin and Shi Weichong.

Shi Weichong was taken aback by Shi Jin's distant and polite attitude. He instinctively glanced at Lian Jun next to Shi Jin, frowned as he remembered their relationship, and was about to retract his gaze. But then he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a corner of Shi Jin's exam bag that was visible.

It looked familiar, like something he had seen many students carrying along the way here today. He was momentarily stunned, then remembered the various traffic controls and slogans for the college entrance exam he had seen on the way. He seized the opportunity and asked, "Xiao Jin, are you going out?"

Shi Jin's heart tightened, and he replied vaguely, "Huh? Ah, yes, I have something to do."

When Shi Weichong saw the expression on his face, he became even more certain of his guess. He took out his phone and checked the date, then looked at the corner of the object in Shi Jin's hand, which looked like an exam bag. He asked, "Xiao Jin, are you going to take the college entrance exam?"

Shi Jin: "..." He hated smart people!

His hand holding the exam bag stiffened, and his polite smile couldn't be maintained. Seeing Number Two driving the car out, he quickly pushed Lian Jun's wheelchair and said goodbye, "It's getting late, I should go. Bye."

After speaking, he walked away, without even looking back.

Shi Weichong couldn't stop him and watched as Shi Jin and Lian Jun disappeared from sight in the car. He came back to his senses and looked at the time, then quickly returned to his own car and called his assistant while starting up the car, cancelling the rest of his schedule.

......

The car hit the main road and headed towards the exam center.

Number Two glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, "Shi Weichong is following us. Should we try to shake him off?"

Lian Jun looked over at Shi Jin, who was sitting next to him, engrossed in studying with his tablet, and replied, "No need. Let's drive steadily. Going too fast or slow can cause motion sickness."

Number Two nodded and didn't pay any more attention to Shi Weichong following behind.

After getting in the car, Shi Jin forgot about Shi Weichong and focused on reviewing the ancient poetry and prose fill-in-the-blank questions that were likely to appear on the exam. He had been relying too much on his phone and computer, which made it easy to forget characters when writing with a pen.

Since the exam hadn't started yet, he wanted to take this opportunity to familiarize himself with the material. After about ten minutes, the car stopped near the exam site. Shi Jin put down his tablet and looked outside at the crowd of students, teachers, and parents gathered around the exam site.

He turned to Lian Jun and said, "You stay in the car. It's too crowded and unsafe outside."

Lian Jun knew that, with his status, going to a crowded place was like asking for trouble. So he nodded and held Shi Jin's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let Number Two accompany you there. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I'll wait for you outside."

"I understand." Shi Jin leaned in for a hug and greeted Number Five, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Then he got out of the car with Number Two.

Following behind them, Shi Weichong immediately got off the car and caught up with Shi Jin, not treating himself as an outsider. He frowned and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to take the college entrance exam? You studied abroad before, so you should take the exam overseas."

Shi Jin didn't know how to react to him and replied casually, "I just want to take a test and apply to a university to get a degree. I don't have any big aspirations. Applying for schools overseas is too troublesome, and I don't want to deal with it."

"But you haven't been to school for almost a year, and you're not familiar with the teaching system in China. If you take the exam now, your grades may not be ideal." The more Shi Weichong spoke, the tighter his brow furrowed.

After considering for a moment, he said, "Xiao Jin, if you still want to go to school, I can get you a guaranteed admission and skip the college entrance exam."

Having money is really great.

He was deeply moved by the offer, but cruelly refused, saying, "No, Young Master Jun has arranged a tutor for me to study with. I want to rely on my own abilities to get into the university I want." Then he wanted to stay by Lian Jun's side forever till he died.

"Pfft," Number Two couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Shi Jin shot him a sharp look.

Number Two raised his hands in surrender and said to Shi Weichong, "Mr. Shi, please don't say anything more. The candidates are already under a lot of pressure. If you keep talking, I'm afraid Shi Jin's mentality will collapse. He's been studying in the car the whole time, which shows how nervous he is. Please understand."

Although his words sounded polite, he was actually criticizing Shi Weichong's speech and trying to get him to shut up.

Shi Weichong glanced at Number Two and then at Shi Jin. Seeing the faint dark circles under Shi Jin's eyes, he decided to stop persuading him and said, "Don't be nervous about the exam. It's okay if you don't do well. Studying is not the only way out."

Shi Jin felt helpless. Why was everyone telling him that it's okay if he doesn't do well, as if they were sure he would fail?

It must be said that sometimes, exam candidates experience psychological breakdowns not because of their poor mental resilience, but because the people around them give them too much psychological pressure, forcing them to feel overwhelmed.

The three of them arrived at the entrance of the exam room, waiting for the exam to begin.

Due to his personality and experiences from the past year, Shi Jin appeared more mature than his peers. Standing among a group of inexperienced students with his exam bag, he looked out of place. Adding to the awkwardness were the two tall, mature men accompanying him instead of his parents, making him stand out even more.

As they walked by, all eyes turned to them in unison, like watching a monkey show.

Shi Jin: "..." He really wanted to throw Number Two and Shi Weichong out.

Due to his profession, Number Two disliked being the center of attention, but he was completely unaware of his own situation. He believed that if it were just him and Shi Jin standing there, they wouldn't attract so much attention. He blamed Shi Weichong, who had followed them like a plaster, for making them stand out.

"Um, I see that other candidates are holding water bottles. Would you like to go buy one for Shi Jin?" Number Two politely suggested.

Shi Weichong frowned and glanced at Shi Jin, then at the other candidates and their parents holding things in their hands. He actually turned around and went to buy water.

Shi Jin turned his head to look at Number Two.

Number Two explained seriously, "Shi Weichong often appears in the financial news section and is somewhat of a celebrity. Standing next to him at any time could be risky, so it's better to let him leave for a while."

"I believe you," Shi Jin said expressionlessly.

Number Two smiled warmly, "Thank you for trusting me."

While the two were talking, Shi Weichong had already bought water and carefully removed all the plastic packaging from the mineral water bottle. He handed the clean bottle to Shi Jin and said, "I noticed that everyone else does this. Here, I didn't buy you a drink, but I think water is more refreshing."

"Thank you," Shi Jin took the water and glanced at the plastic packaging in Shi Weichong's hand, feeling a bit like sighing.

Why bother? Shi Weichong didn't need to do this at all.

As if sensing his thoughts, Shi Weichong suddenly said, "You don't have to feel burdened. I just did what I wanted to do. Focus on your exams and don't think too much."

Shi Jin didn't respond, silently accepting his kindness.

The exam room doors opened on time. Shi Jin said his goodbyes to Number Two and Shi Weichong and entered the exam room with his exam bag and water. He found his exam classroom and seat according to the number on his admission tickets. After sitting down and putting his things away, he forced themselves to focus on the exam.

When the time came, the invigilator began handing out the exam papers.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Si gave Shi Jin a bunch of buffs such as 'clear-headed and energetic', 'achieving twice the results with half the effort', 'the god of exams possesses you', and 'the mindset of a top student', hoping to help Shi Jin reduce the difficulty of the exam.

Shi Jin was completely unaware of this and, as usual, filled in the student information after receiving the exam paper. He inexplicably felt that his handwriting was particularly smooth today and before he knew it, he had completed filling in the information and shifted his gaze to the questions, smoothly proceeding with the exam.

When you're focused on something, time always seems to fly by.

As Shi Jin finished the last big question and pulled his attention away from the exam paper, he realized that the test was almost over. He double-checked his answers and confirmed his personal information, but as soon as he put his pen down, the bell rang for the end of the exam.

Everything was just perfect, as if it had been scripted in advance.

Shi Jin walked out of the exam room with the other students, feeling relaxed. He thought back on the exam process and realized that today's questions were surprisingly easy, and he was able to concentrate exceptionally well. He was truly in the zone, completely oblivious to everything else around him.

This was all too strange. After all, when he woke up this morning, his mind was a complete mess and he thought he was going to fail the exam.

He realized something and poked Xiao Si in his heart, asking, "Did you help me?"

Caught in the act, Xiao Si felt a little guilty and replied, "I just added a little alertness buff for you... um, is the buff useful? If you don't like it, I won't do it again."

Shi Jin couldn't help but smile, feeling very touched, and replied, "It's useful, very useful. Thank you."

So Xiao Si's voice became louder again, happily saying, "I knew you could do well on the exam, Jin Jin, you're the best!"

Shi Jin was made happy by its thoughtful gesture, feeling like the exam wasn't so difficult after all. He stretched lazily and said, "Let's go, let's find Lian Jun for a meal."

When he walked out of the exam room, Shi Jin noticed that Shi Weichong was still outside and not with Number Two. He was standing alone conspicuously at the entrance.

Shi Jin was certain that Shi Weichong had been rejected by Number Two.

Feeling helpless, Shi Jin saw Shi Weichong approaching and asked, "Have you been waiting outside the whole time?"

"No, I went to sit in the car for a while. Where do you want to eat? I'll make a reservation," Shi Weichong replied, like a caring older brother, carefully avoiding asking about Shi Jin's exam and only concerned about his food and drink.

Shi Jin couldn't keep up the polite act anymore and stopped, asking, "Shi Weichong, what do you really want?"

When Shi Weichong heard his name being called out so directly, not even calling him 'brother', he fell silent for a moment before saying, "Xiao Jin, I just want to care about you."

"But your care right now is a burden to me." Shi Jin had no choice but to speak frankly. "Shi Weichong, to be honest with you, every time you contact me, I worry about my safety... Don't interrupt me, I'm not saying you want to harm me, but your attitude could potentially affect how those around you view me."

Shi Weichong furrowed his brow and asked, "Xiao Jin, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm worried that your mother might have negative thoughts or actions towards me because of your closeness to me, to the point of wanting to give me a share of the company. Can you guarantee that she has only good intentions towards me?" Shi Jin asked bluntly.

Shi Weichong's expression turned ugly, his lips pressed tightly together without saying a word.

It was obvious that the answer to the question was negative. Xu Jie's attitude in their last phone call had already made it clear. Shi Weichong didn't expect Shi Jin to think so deeply, and because of this worry, he couldn't even accept his care.

"I'll handle these things," he finally said.

Seeing Shi Weichong like this, Shi Jin couldn't help but sigh and asked helplessly, "Shi Weichong, have you ever heard of overcompensation psychology?"

"What?" Shi Weichong asked.

"Some successful people, after achieving success, are haunted by the flaws in their past lives. They then overcompensate for these flaws, trying to unconsciously achieve emotional fulfillment. Shi Weichong, you are now very much like this situation," Shi Jin said.

He didn't really want to repay Shi Weichong's kindness in this way, but their relationship couldn't continue to be so strange. There had to be a clean break.

Shi Weichong's face immediately turned black as he stared at Shi Jin and asked, "Is this what you really think of me?"

Although it was cruel, Shi Jin still nodded and said, "Big brother, I voluntarily gave you my shares, so you don't have to feel guilty. Goodbye."

Without looking back at him, he called out to Number Two who was waiting nearby, and together they walked towards where Lian Jun was.

This time, Shi Weichong did not follow them. He stood in place, watching as Shi Jin walked further away, his expression tense the whole time.