The next evening, the buzz from the Flower Queen performance hadn’t yet faded. Su Qianqian curled up on her bed with a tablet, scrolling through art school admission requirements, her brows tightly furrowed.
The enrollment criteria for S University left her dizzy.
The liberal arts exams covered history, literature, politics…
The history of this world was completely different from what she knew—no Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties, but instead eras and constitutional monarchies she’d never heard of.
Even the literary classics were filled with unfamiliar names.
In her past life, despite being bedridden, she’d at least attended high school online. She’d been a humanities student, taken exams, and excelled in her studies.
But here, her knowledge of the liberal arts was starting from zero.
Gu Chengyu stepped out of the shower and immediately noticed the girl sighing at her screen.
Drying his hair, he walked over and effortlessly pulled her into his arms. "What’s troubling you?"
"Who made Qianqian unhappy? I’ll teach them a lesson."
Su Qianqian handed him the tablet. "The art school requires liberal arts exams first, and I don’t know any of this."
He skimmed the screen and chuckled. "Who told you you’d need to take these?"
"It’s written in the admission guidelines," she said, pointing at the clauses. "Look, they even test ancient history."
Gu Chengyu tossed the tablet aside, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.
"That’s the path for ordinary people."
"If you want to study acting, it doesn’t have to be this complicated."
She looked up at him, puzzled.
"The best performing arts program isn’t at S University."
He lowered his head, nipping at her earlobe. "It’s at Starlight Academy, jointly run by the Four Great Families."
Su Qianqian blinked. "Starlight Academy?"
"Mhm."
His fingers trailed lazily under the collar of her nightgown, skimming her collarbone.
"There, you don’t need to take liberal arts exams. As long as you have talent and pass the specialized assessment, you’re in."
His touch tickled, and she squirmed back. "Then how does the assessment work?"
"Perform a piece, or submit a portfolio—either works."
He reeled her back in.
"Qin Yuwei got into the music department that way. She played one piece and passed."
Su Qianqian recalled Qin Yuwei’s original compositions—they truly brimmed with creativity.
He continued, "Amy graduated from Starlight’s design program too. She submitted a few sketches and was admitted."
A spark of interest lit in her. "Is it difficult?"
"For others, yes."
His fingers traced the curve of her waist. "But your Flower Queen performance alone could outshine most of their current acting students."
The praise made her cheeks warm. Softly, she asked, "What about you? Did you graduate from there too?"
"Mhm."
His tone was casual. "Finance, economics, management… dabbled in them all."
"Finished in half a year. Got bored, so I joined the company."
Su Qianqian gaped.
Three majors in half a year?
"That’s how Starlight is."
Amused by her astonishment, he kissed the corner of her lips.
"No matter how you do it, as long as you meet the standards by the end of the term, you advance."
"Attend class or don’t—live in a lab or travel the world. Just deliver results."
Her eyes brightened further. "Can I try now, then?"
"Of course."
He pressed her down. "I’ll have Brother Wang prepare the application materials tomorrow."
"That Flower Queen performance of yours is the perfect portfolio piece."
Overjoyed, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Chengyu, you’re the best!"
He arched a brow. "That’s all it takes to be the best?"
She stretched up to kiss his chin. "The absolute best!"
Gu Chengyu chuckled lowly. "Next time, don’t overthink things alone. Ask me first, understand?"
"Mmhmm."
Su Qianqian nodded, the weight in her chest finally lifting.
She leaned in to capture his lips.
"However—"
Gu Chengyu suddenly broke the kiss, propping himself up to look at her sternly. "Even if you get in, you’re not living on campus. You come home every day."
She suppressed a smile. "Got it."
"And no getting too close to male classmates."
In high spirits, the girl nodded obediently. "Mmhmm."
"If you’re tired, rest. Don’t push yourself."
Her heart melted. She reached up to caress his face. "Chengyu, I know. I’ll take care of myself."
He caught her fingers, pressing a kiss to them. "Our Qianqian is the most well-behaved."
Then Gu Chengyu dipped his head again, savoring this sweetness that belonged to him alone.
