Chapter 41

On June 29th, the unified final exams of Jinan Prefecture began, lasting until July 1st, a total of three days. The end of the exams marked the official start of the summer vacation.

It is often said that having more skills does not burden the body, as learning one thing does not mean forgetting another. Although Li Qian had put aside his studies for nearly twenty years, the foundation he had built back then was still there. Moreover, his performance in this life had only declined over the past year or so, and his foundation was originally quite solid. With the intensive review over the past month, he was confident that he could achieve a significant improvement—thus, he took the final exams with ease.

After the exams, he naturally compared answers with Wang Jinglu as usual. The results were largely as he had expected. Last time he scored 533 points, and this time, his score should be around 580 points, with a minimum of no less than 560 points.

For Li Qian, this was already enough.

For his parents, this score was sufficient for Li Qian to fulfill his initial promise, ensuring that his father would no longer obstruct him from pursuing music-related activities. Even without fulfilling the promise, given the 400,000 yuan check from selling songs, which was equivalent to what his father, a senior teacher, could earn by not eating or drinking for over a decade, it was already enough to demonstrate Li Qian's potential in the music industry. However, fulfilling the promise smoothly would be even better.

For Wang Jinglu, after comparing answers and roughly estimating the score, she was almost certain that if things continued this way, Li Qian would definitely be able to smoothly enter a public university next year. Even if she was about to leave for the capital, she could breathe a sigh of relief and go with greater peace of mind, right?

As for Li Qian himself...

Actually, he was not so concerned about his academic performance, at least not as much as he had shown over the past month—during which his diligence in studies was almost universally recognized. For him, studying and the college entrance exam were just part of his youth, so he approached them with an attitude of enjoying his youth.

If he were to say this out loud, both those who had already passed this stage and those who were still in the midst of it would likely find it hard to understand: enjoying youth is fine, but is studying also enjoyable?

Perhaps only someone like him, who had lived a second life, or those who, though old, had seen through the essence of life, could share his perspective.

Yes, for him now, studying was indeed a form of enjoyment.

It was not just the knowledge he enjoyed, but the slow and tender passage of time.

...

Since the final exam results would only be announced at the start of the next semester, every student, regardless of their achievements over the past year, would enjoy a carefree and pleasant summer vacation.

The day after the final exams, Li Qian finally fulfilled Wang Jinglu's wish and accompanied her to climb Qianfo Mountain. Despite the scorching summer heat, Qianfo Mountain, though green with pine trees, was not particularly cool. However, seeing Wang Jinglu's contented face, breaking a sweat was worth it.

Then, on July 5th, Wang Jingsnow returned to Jinan Prefecture and personally drove away with Wang Jinglu.

Knowing that he was not favored by Wang Jingsnow's parents and would not receive a good attitude from her, Li Qian did not go to see her off, nor did he even make a phone call. He just silently watched Wang Jingsnow get into her sister's Great Wall sports car from the window—she looked up at the third floor, and the car started.

Then, he sent her a text message: "Safe journey."

She replied: "Waiting for you."

...

After seeing Wang Jinglu off, Li Qian prepared to start a new phase of his life.

Yes, he was going to apply for a job as a singer, even if it was just at a restaurant.

He certainly did not lack money now. Although 350,000 yuan of the 400,000 yuan was under his father's control and 20,000 yuan was reserved for Teacher Qi Jie, the remaining 30,000 yuan was entirely at his disposal. Therefore, he did not need to worry about earning money.

Moreover, he knew that once Liao Liao's album was released, he would soon have no shortage of money.

So, money was not an issue.

What he needed was to gain some experience in live performances.

Of course, in his previous life, he had performed in various bars in the capital for over ten years, so he was not lacking in experience. However, in this life, his live performance experience was still a blank slate.

He could certainly ignore the potential surprise he might face in the future, but he could not ignore the principle that "if you do not advance, you will fall behind." Besides, singing was something he loved, and why sing alone in his room when he could sing for everyone to hear?

Of course, before that, he had one important thing to do: find a place to live!

Yes, he was planning to move out.

He explained to his parents: "First, I will be performing as a singer, and the schedule will be determined by the venue. If I get a job at a restaurant, it will be at most until 8 or 9 PM, but if I get a job at a bar, it could be much later. If I don't move out, you will be disturbed and won't sleep well. Second, during this summer vacation, I need to focus on writing songs, composing, and practicing, so disturbing the neighbors is fine, but if I suddenly play the guitar at midnight, it might scare you both. Third, I just earned some money, so can't I indulge a little and experience a life of freedom?"

Well, these reasons were not very convincing, so Li's mother strongly and severely opposed the idea. However, fortunately, Li's father unexpectedly supported him.

Miraculously, Li's father must have said something to Li's mother, because the next day, she no longer opposed the idea. She only insisted that if Li Qian rented a place, she had to personally inspect it and approve it.

Then, Li Qian began a life of practicing songs, learning Russian, and looking for a place to live.

In the end, with Li's mother's approval, Li Qian rented a one-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood about two stops away from Shengshi Garden. He moved in eagerly, much to his mother's distress.

However, it was not that he was not close to his parents in this life; it was simply that boys, when they grow up, want to fly solo, right?

Moving into his new home marked the true beginning of Li Qian's summer vacation.

***

I know, this chapter is a bit short. If time allowed, this chapter and the previous one should have been combined. However...

Well, the next chapter can finally start with some real content. I have been quite stimulated by the comments in the review section, such as "slow-paced" and "lacking a climax." I have been waiting for this part of the story for a long time!

Next, watch me!

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