What to Do When You Can't Keep Your Childhood Sweetheart in Check

At the end of August, the summer sun still blazed fiercely over City A. Jiang Muwen lay slumped over her desk, soaking in the cool air, drifting on the edge of sleep.

But suddenly, voices chatting outside her door snapped her wide awake.

“Wen Nuan, I heard the class placements are out. Which class did your daughter get into?” It was Su Yu, mother of Wen Yichen, from next door. Wen Nuan was Jiang Muwen’s mother.

Jiang Muwen had heard that her mother and Su Yu had known each other for years, their friendship so close that they’d coincidentally bought apartments in the same community, the same building, even the same floor. They were of similar age, and their children were in the same school year.

The moment Su Yu finished her sentence, Jiang Muwen’s heart skipped a beat—right, today was the day the class placement results were released.

First High School of City A was among the city’s very best. Every year at the end of the first year, it held a so-called “placement exam,” which, in truth, sorted students into different tiers and then assigned teachers accordingly.

“I have no idea! You know what my kid’s like—she’s probably forgotten all about it,” Wen Nuan replied, half-joking.

“What about your son, which class did he get into?” Wen Nuan asked casually.

“Class A. I always thought that boy of mine never studied, but he actually made it into Class A!” Su Yu exclaimed, her tone tinged with disbelief.

Class A—renowned as the elite class of the entire school, a class apart from all others, almost legendary.

“Your boy’